Feeling Good
by Pretty Persistent
Summary: “It’s like I’ve always said: Will’s relationships only work when he doesn’t feel good about himself.” Emma/Terri. Multi-chap.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I want to make a quick note... I know I have a lot of stories going on right now, but I made an update in my profile about all of them. Please read that for details, but there's a lot of upcoming stuff!  
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**Anyway, I honestly don't know what got into me with this one. The idea came to me and I had to run with it. I love Emma and Terri. Well, I hate Terri, but I love how interesting she is. So I really wanted to explore each of their characters and as soon as I started writing, I couldn't believe the relationship I found for them. For the most part, the point of view will casually shift between the two of them. There might be some Will POV later on, as he will be in the story.  
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**I'm in for the long-haul on this one, so this is only the beginning! I really hope to get some readers, even though I'm sure this isn't a popular pairing. I want to write lots more Wemma, but I think a huge purpose of FanFiction is to try things that the show doesn't. So I hope you guys will enjoy this!**

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It was the third day in a row that Emma had not made it home from work, before having to pull over and cry. Sobbing, to Emma, was messy and she couldn't handle trying to drive, while dealing with that.

Tears had been welling up in her eyes since the moment she left the school building and had been streaming down her face as soon as she got in her car. Once she felt her shoulders starting to shake, she pulled into the closest parking lot she could find. It was a very small shopping plaza, containing a dairy mart, a pharmacy, a nail salon, and lastly, a store called, Sheets 'n' Things.

Sloppily, she parked somewhere between the nail salon and Sheets 'n' Things. Turning off her car, she lost herself in violent sobs, only needing silence for this daily routine.

Terri nearly stormed out of the building, while ripping off her work apron. It had been a much longer day at work than she preferred and now she was on her way to continue terminating a marriage that she had never wanted to end in the first place.

She let a large sigh escape her lips as she walked the few feet to her car. Fortunately, as an employee, she was given a reserved spot in the front row. Usually, the parking lot was empty, anyway. Currently, however, an SUV was parked so poorly that it prevented her from getting into her own car. Terri was about to curse, when she looked over and recognized a rather familiar head of hair sitting in the parked automobile. Rolling her eyes, she walked up to the window and tapped on it, three times, with her knuckles.

Startled, Emma jumped a little in her seat, releasing her face from her hands. Once she looked over and realized who was staring through her tinted windows, Emma allowed her tear-stained face to form a scowl. She hesitated, unsure what to do, but Terri impatiently motioned for her to roll down the window. Emma obliged, figuring she might as well hear whatever Terri had to say now, while she was already down.

"If you're looking to gloat, you might as well save your breath," she said, as confidently as she could. Truthfully, Terri intimidated the living daylights out of her.

"Actually, your uncharacteristically sloppy parking job is blocking me from getting in my car," Terri responded, flatly, pointing a thumb behind her.

"Oh-oh, I'm sorry," Emma said, embarrassed. She frantically reached to put her car into reverse.

"Wait," Terri said, sharply, calling Emma's attention back. "This is about Will, isn't it?"

Emma expected a smug grin, a glint of the eyes, or a, "I told you so," from Terri. But the expression on the blonde girl was far too similar to her own, save the tears and smudged make-up.

"Yes," Emma said, taking a deep breath, "Well, we've had several falling outs. It wasn't just the one. You know, about the yearbook." She knew Terri blamed her for her failed marriage and the last thing Emma wanted to do was give the woman the satisfaction of having returned the favor.

"Well, yeah. I figured he had to have done something."

Emma wasn't sure how to respond, so she simply opted not to.

"What I mean is, I know the feeling," Terri continued. "He broke my heart, too."

"I'm sorry. I really am." Emma knew a lot of it had been Terri's fault, but she wouldn't wish this kind of pain on anyone.

Terri glanced at her watch for a quick second. "That's nice of you… Listen, quite frankly, you're a wreck and I know I didn't like being alone when I felt like that. Let's go get some food, or something. Will and I are supposed to have appointment with the attorney, but I'll just cancel. He'll probably get pissed, but what else is new?"

Emma knew Terri probably wanted to get out of that appointment and she knew that the right thing to do would be to decline and tell her that she needed to go, but Emma was tired of defending Will. Then again, chatting over snacks with Terri Schuester wasn't appealing to her, either, especially given her current state.

"I'm a mess…" she said, looking into the mirror.

Taking both her thumbs, Terri wiped the smeared eyeliner and mascara off of her face. Emma should have felt sick or panic-stricken at the touch of someone like Terri, but the unlikely act of kindness seemed to overshadow it.

"There," Terri said. "Now, get your car out of my way and then follow me."

Terri flipped open her cell phone and walked away before Emma had a chance to argue.

Emma had a difficult time keeping up with Terri, who seemed to enjoy speeding. Still, she managed to pull into a very small parking lot, only a few moments later. She took extra care in her parking, trying to make it as perfect as possible.

Carefully stepping out of her car, still in her work clothes, Emma caught a glance from Terri and met her at the door of the diner. It wasn't one that Emma recognized. Then again, she didn't go out to eat very often. While it did not seem entirely clean, it had somewhat of a charm to it.

They quickly stepped inside, without saying a word. The hostess asked them how many she would be seating and their smoking preference, to which Terri responded with two and non, much to Emma's relief.

The hostess took off towards a booth near the back window and Terri placed her hand on the small of Emma's back, urging her forward. Emma felt herself immediately tense up, but took a deep breath and counted to ten. She had started counseling for the sake of her relationship with Will, but now, Emma wanted to take control for herself.

Once they approached the booth, Emma froze. As quaint as they might have been, the bright blue vinyl booths appeared as if they had been made in the 1950s and as if they had not been cleaned since then. Emma pulled out a Clorox wipe and began scrubbing her seat, earning an odd look from the hostess, who set down their menus and walked away.

"You really are a freak…" Terri said.

It was typical Terri, but it did not seem as harsh and judgmental as usual. Emma tucked away the cloth much quicker than she usually would and sat across from her once enemy.

Before they had a chance to begin any sort of small talk, their hostess returned to ask them if she could start them off with anything to drink, before their waiter arrived.

"I'll have a coffee," Terri said. "With extra cream."

"Water, please," Emma said, before quickly, and almost frantically, adding, "Oh, and a straw, please!"

The lady walked away, shaking her head a little.

"They usually provide you with a straw, you know," Terri said, giving Emma bit of a look.

"I know, but I just like to make sure. I usually bring my own, but I wasn't planning going out to eat today. You just never know who's been using these glasses…" Emma paused, only to start back up again. "Oh gosh, that really does sound like freak behavior…" She knew she wasn't supposed to put herself down, but she also wasn't supposed to be so obsessive compulsive.

Terri shrugged. "Eh, it's cool. Everybody's got their crazy."

Emma had only recently begun to realize how much she did actually relate to Terri. Behind the shrug and flat voice, Emma could see in the woman's eyes that she, too, had been judged for her behavior. Sure, Terri wasn't always rational, but neither was she, so who was Emma to try and put her in her place?

A young waiter arrived with their drinks and ready to take their orders. Terri recognized him from the last time she had eaten here with Will.

"Hey, uh, weren't you pregnant a few months ago…?" the boy asked, pointing his pen at Terri.

"Yeah, well, shit happens," she responded, earning a wide-eyed expression from both the waiter and Emma.

Without her 'eating for two' excuse, Terri could not order nearly as much food as she had the last time. Instead, she asked for one piece of apple pie a la mode. Emma ordered the same, but requested strawberry ice cream, instead of vanilla, which Terri found interesting and made note of.

Knowing that their dishes wouldn't take long to prepare or eat, Terri figured she might as well cut to the chase.

"So, Emma… If you don't mind my asking, what exactly happened between you and Will?"

Emma feigned a cough, being slightly taken aback. She figured Terri had taken her out to get her mind off of things, not drill her for information on her ex-husband. Still, Terri did seem different today and Emma did not like to question people's motives.

"Well, um, Will and I were sort of dating, I guess. At least, we seemed to be headed in that direction. But it was difficult with Will, well… you know." Emma paused to catch her breath. "Anyway, um, I found out, through Sue Slyvester, actually, that Will had been, um, seeing other women, behind my back, I guess you could say. And he confirmed it. So, I had to break it off, completely, for now, at least." Emma breathed again, feeling somewhat relieved and somewhat anxious.

"It's like I've always said: Will's relationships only work when he doesn't feel good about himself."

"Well, he did sincerely apologize. Will is a good man, Terri," Emma said, less than confidently.

Before Terri had a chance to respond, their waiter interrupted them, bringing their respective apple pie. Both girls were quick to focus on eating, but Terri still pressed on.

"Think about it. Will was newly single and even though it's obvious that he's had feelings for you from the start, he jumped at any woman that looked his way. That may have boosted his confidence, but look how it made you feel."

Emma looked up to meet Terri's eyes, but remained silent.

"Look, I loved Will very much. I know that he's a good person." Terri sighed and looked down, swirling a piece of pie into her ice cream. "Perhaps too good…"

"Like-like maybe you loved him too much?" Emma said, meekly.

They both refused to look up, but continued talking, anyway.

"I know you think what I did to Will was just cruel. It was a horrible thing to do and I am so ashamed. It's basically all I've been focusing on in counseling. But I was desperate. I loved Will so much it was irrational. I lost control of myself. Suddenly everything I did was for him."

Emma was surprised to hear that Terri was in counseling. Apparently Will had driven the both of them to it. She knew exactly how Terri was feeling and Emma never before felt so much regret for the way she had acted towards Will Schuester's wife.

"I, um, I told him that…" Emma said, quietly, but finally looking up.

"What?" Terri asked, snapping her head up a moment later. "A-about me? What do you mean?"

"I told him that, although what you did was, well, wrong… I-I told him that he was a lot to lose. And that I could understand what made you do it." Emma took a deep breath and anticipated Terri's reaction.

"Really? You did that, even though it could have potentially made him reconsider leaving me?"

"I had to. I mean, I knew exactly how you must have been feeling. Will made me lose complete control of myself. And I learned in um, my counseling, that I had to start regaining that control, for myself." Emma spoke with her usual gestures, suddenly feeling like she was having a conversation with an old friend, not her ex-boyfriend's soon-to-be ex-wife.

Terri watched Emma take the smallest bites from the remainder of her ice cream. She was momentarily speechless, after what Emma had just confessed to her.

"Wow," Terri said, stabbing at another piece of pie. "I was awful to you. I never would have helped you out like that."

"It's okay. I wasn't entirely selfless."

"I guess maybe Will is both of our crazy," Terri said, chuckling a little.

Emma giggled, too. It was the first time she had felt like doing anything besides cry at the thought of her failed relationship with Will.

Ending that conversation on a good note, they made small talk, while Terri finished her coffee. Their sweet laughter filled the quiet diner. Once their plates had been cleared and their lungs were tired, they both grabbed their receipts and made their way to the register.

"It's on me," Terri said, grabbing Emma's receipt out of her hand.

"You don't—" Emma started.

"I told you I was taking you out," Terri said, and paid both bills.

They stood at the doorway of the diner, while Terri rearranged her purse. Emma held herself and took a few shallow breaths, feeling her eyes sting, now that she was no longer as distracted.

Terri took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze and Emma smiled at yet another uncharacteristic action from the woman. To her surprise, Terri did not release her hand, but instead, kept their fingers intertwined, and led them both outside.

Once they were standing, side by side, at the front of the parking lot, Emma looked over at the blond next to her. Terri was the same height as her and their bodies were very similar. She figured they probably wore the same size.

"Well, that was nice!" Terri said, finally, freeing her hand from Emma's and smacking it on her thigh.

"It was. Thank you so much, Terri," Emma replied, her face a bit flush.

"Maybe we can do this again sometime, or something." Terri shrugged.

Emma nodded and bid farewell to Terri, who was making her way over to her car.

"Thanks for not blocking me this time!" Terri called out the window.

It wasn't until Terri had driven off, that Emma finally started walking towards her car.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First off, thank you so much to everyone who has read and/or reviewed this story! It's actually been a pretty good success, so far. I was surprised by the interest in this couple. I've grown really attached to the development of both Emma and Terri, as characters, and their relationship. I'm excited for their journey and I hope you are, too!**

**Also, real quick, I want to apologize that this is late... I suck, I know. I started work this week and I would write more every day, but I kept running out of time to finish it. But now that I've adjusted, I promise I'll update more!**

**Enjoy!**

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Emma stared, wide-eyed, at the open cabinet drawer in front of her. Her yellow mary-jane heels were planted firmly on the ground, as she breathed deeply. It was her last chance. Well, for the week, anyway.

The day before, she had been standing like this for a good twenty minutes, before talking herself out of it and shutting the drawer, then locking her office door behind her. But now, it was Friday and school had been out for a good hour or so and she technically should have been on the road fifteen minutes ago. If she didn't act now, she would have to wait the entire weekend to try again.

It wasn't like what Emma was about to commit any kind of crime. As the school's guidance counselor, she was permitted access to the files of all staff and students, both previous and current. Besides, all she wanted was a simple phone number.

First off, Emma felt as if she might be violating Terri's privacy. Terri wasn't giving Emma her number, so why should she take it? Emma certainly was not the type to invade people's personal space. Then again, she had let Will convince her to dig up some dirt on April Rhodes and look where that got her. April was just one of the girls Will had betrayed her with.

Emma stared at the drawer, which remained open. This time, Emma wasn't questioning her morals on account of another person—one who held too much control of her. It was different, because now, she was in complete control. If there was any moral-questioning going on, it would be for her sake only.

'_Time to be selfish…'_

Reaching in, Emma grabbed the file. She had been staring at the drawer so much, over the past few days, that she had memorized exactly where it was at.

TERRI SCHUESTER: SCHOOL NURSE (TEMPORARY)

While she held the folder in her hands, Emma hesitated to open it. Why would Terri want her to have her phone number? The woman had probably pitied Emma, pathetically crying in a public parking lot. And she was certain "let's do this again sometime" was just an expression.

Emma set it back down, on top of the filed folders. She and Terri were not friends. There was no way Terri wanted to start hanging out with her. And really, why would she want to hang out with Terri? The tension between the two of them was unbelievable. It always had been. It was still present on Wednesday, even if it had felt a little different than usual.

It had been very different, though. Emma figured that it couldn't hurt to have it. She didn't plan on actually phoning Terri that weekend, or anything, but if she ever needed someone to relate to, maybe Terri would take pity on her sad, pathetic soul, again.

Emma flipped her phone open and entered the digits, then flipped it shut, put the folder away, and closed to drawer, as quickly as possible.

Shaking a little, Emma grabbed her jacket and other belongings and locked up her office for the night. Walking down the hall, Emma stared at the newest contact in her phone, half satisfied and half terrified. When she turned the corner, Emma, quite unintentionally, crashed into another body, at the same level as hers.

"Oh!" Emma gasped, dropping her phone in the process.

It certainly wasn't a major blow, seeing as Terri was no bigger than she was, but it shocked her none the less. However, she was far more shocked to look down and find that Terri was already picking up her cell phone.

'_Oh god, oh god! What if she sees it?' _Emma's mind was swimming. Her face was hot—and red, of course—and she felt as if she was about to faint.

"Hey, Emma!" Terri said, handing over the phone. "Are you okay?"

Much to Emma's relief, her phone had shut off, after being dropped on the tile floor.

'_Great! What if it broke and I lost all my contacts?'_

"Emma…?"

Emma snapped her head back up. She felt herself blushing even more. She looked like a complete idiot.

"Uhhh… Yes! I'm fine, thank you. I don't know about my phone, though…" Emma looked at the flip phone, sadly.

"Oh, I've thrown mine at the wall a hundred times and it's just fine," Terri said, swatting a hand at the air. "Here, let's turn it on."

"Uh, I got it. Thanks!" Emma said, quickly.

"Well, okay, then!" Terri smiled, somewhat uncomfortably.

Emma figured the woman thought she was crazy and that she could probably never call her, now. They stood there for a few awkward moments, while Emma tried to regain some dignity. It took her far too long to realize the obvious.

"Oh! Um, what brings you here, Terri?" she finally asked.

The only times Terri had ever come to the school were for work, one or two glee performances, or to visit Will. For whatever reason, Emma hoped she wasn't there to visit Will.

"Oh, well…" Terri paused for a moment. "You see, I stored some stuff in Will's office, when I was working here, so… you know, I needed to get them back."

"Oh, okay…" Emma nodded, suddenly feeling much better about everything."Closure. That's good… Sorry! It's the guidance counselor in me." She placed a palm to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut, momentarily.

"No, absolutely! I moved all of my stuff out of his apartment ages ago. It's good to finally just be myself," Terri said. "I'm really glad we got to talk about that the other day, Emma."

Emma was beaming. It helped Terri, too, which meant it wasn't a complete pity party. Plus, it made her feel better, in general, that Terri had been with the man for fifteen years and managed to get her closure. Perhaps Emma's would be coming soon, too…

"Anytime," Emma said, smiling. "I mean, like, if we ever happened to be in a conversation, you know, just in passing… Then, I would be fully willing to, well, discuss anything you wanted to, um, talk about."

Emma clamped her lips shut, chastising herself for her ridiculous, nervous rambling. Why was she so nervous? Oh, right… She did, after all, steal Terri Schuester's phone number, in hopes of possibly making her first girl friend. With Terri Schuester, of all people.

Terri (almost) stifled a laugh and smiled back at Emma.

"Alright, sounds good! I'll let you go, for now, since it looks like you were on your way out. It was nice, well… running into you! Goodbye, Em!"

With that, Terri leaned in and hugged Emma, around the shoulders. Feeling her body jolt and heartbreak quicken, Emma slowly, but surely, returned the embrace, placing her arms around Terri's small waist.

The hug was not at all long or significant, but pulling away, Emma felt as if everything in and around her had completely changed. Maybe it was the lighting. The lighting did seem different.

Emma blinked a few times and cracked a smile. Terri walked off, turning back once, to wave.

Like the last time, it took Emma a few minutes to get going.

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Terri turned down the next hallway, only to run straight into Will. What was with her bad luck involving corners today?

"Terri, what was that?"

Terri's mind was certainly elsewhere and she could hardly comprehend Will's rather irate sounding question.

"Wh—Huh?" Terri said, shaking her head around. _'Earth to Terri! What has gotten into you?'_

"I saw you with Emma!" Will said, gesturing his hand towards the other hallway. "What are you up to this time? Seriously, Terri, can't you just leave her alone?"

"Oh, come off it, Will," Terri said, turning her back to him and walking towards his office. "She's not going to here you defending her."

"What? I'm not—! Terri, that's not the point!"

"Whatever. Will, you saw us hugging. I was being _friendly_," she said, stressing the last word.

"To Emma? Oh yeah, I'm sure that was real genuine."

"Will, she's nice! I just happened to run into her in the hallway. I have no reason to hate her anymore." She paused. "Besides, you have no right to tell me, or Emma, for that matter, who we can talk to."

Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. I know you better than to fall for that!"

"Whatever, Will." He didn't know her at all. Their fighting had been like this since the divorce process started.

Terri never even bothered to make eye contact with Will. She walked straight into his office, sitting in one of two chairs across from the desk.

"Hello, Mr. Fracker," Terri said, with a fake smile.

Earlier, Terri had decided against telling Emma the real reason she was at the school. Will was, of course, quite upset that she cancelled their last meeting at the last minute. He then arranged with the attorney to have it at his office, following glee practice, because the cancellation had been such an inconvenience to him. It was rather inconvenient for Terri, but she could tell that Emma tended to worry over things, quite a lot. She didn't want to make her feel bad for the other day. It had been her own idea, after all.

A moment later, Will walked in and sat in the chair next to her.

"Hi, Mr. Fracker. I'm sorry we're late. I had to go search for Terri, only to find her talking with my, uh… Emma." Will paused, but continued at Mr. Fracker's confused look. "Emma and I dated."

"Oh, so you're finally admitting to the infidelity?"

"I never cheated on you!"

"You and I are still legally married. That entitles me to something, right?" Terri said, placing her finger tips on the desk and looking towards the rather overwhelmed attorney.

"Oh and what about all your secrets? Where were you on Wednesday?" Will interrupted.

"As I said in our past two phone conversations, I no longer am required to disclose that information to you," Terri stated, as stoically as possible.

The last thing she wanted was for Will to find out that she had gone out with Emma—and discussed him, at that. He would only question her motives and make the entire situation impossible. Truthfully, she wouldn't mind befriending Emma. Terri could use a friend. That damn redhead was actually kind of nice. Although she was rather… quirky, it sometimes came off as adorable and charming. And she was extremely pretty…

Lately, Terri's thoughts about Emma had been getting a little carried away. She wrote it off as general tension. She had hated Emma so deeply before, that it was hard to feel anything less than passionate about the woman. The only difference was that now, things were on the more positive end of the spectrum, between the two of them.

"I have a right to know what was so important that our meeting, for the divorce I desperately want, had to be cancelled at the last minute!"

Terri was snapped back to reality by the heated voice of her soon-to-be ex-husband.

"Yeah, well I want it, too, William! Because I have other things and other people in my life that are more important than you! I.E. Wednesday!" Terri was full-on shouting, at this point.

"I know you canceled the meeting on purpose!"

"You don't know a damn thing!"

They both silenced and crossed their arms, looking away from one another, each inwardly fuming.

Mr. Fracker inhaled, making sure he was finally being given the opportunity to speak, before simply stating, "Well, I see we've been making progress."

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Most weeks, Emma's big cleaning day was Sunday. Of course, she cleaned constantly, at least once, every single day. But the big day, on which she would spend between four to six hours (or more) cleaning every last corner… that was Sunday.

It was not Sunday, however. Currently, it was Saturday, and Emma was on her third round, even though her condo had been spotless after the first. Her day felt completely out of whack, but truthfully, it had felt that way from the start. She needed to distract herself from this unfamiliar nervous feeling she had been experiencing since she woke up and cleaning felt the most comfortable, on any day.

Pulling off her yellow gloves, Emma sighed and blew her lengthy bangs out of her eyes. She was not nearly as worn out as she should have been. In fact, she was feeling incredibly restless. Then again, that could be due to the fact that she needed a shower.

It almost creeped her out, looking around at her condo. It didn't even look lived in. Sure, she was only one person and didn't have much to define her. Still, was this the only way she could cope with things?

With all that that had been happening to her lately, Emma couldn't pinpoint everything that she was avoiding. One thing, for sure, though, was her cell phone. Every time she happened to glance at it, she regretted her decision to save Terri's number more and more.

Shaking her head at the cursed device, Emma walked towards the linen closet to grab a couple towels and finally take that shower. She glanced down at her watch. It was already 2:00pm. If she wanted to make plans with anyone, she would probably have to call them soon, in case they were to get busy later on…

She shook her head again. It was such a bad idea, putting that number in her phone, when she knew it was far too soon to be using it. But now, it was also far too tempting. Really, she could just call and see what happens. What would the worst possibility be, anyway? If it went that badly, she could always opt to never see Terri again; spare herself the embarrassment. All that would require is avoiding an entire shopping plaza and possibly having to duck and hide at the grocery store every once in a while. No big deal…

Emma sighed and shut the closet, stomping back to the counter where her phone was residing, before she had the chance to change her mind.

She was shaking the entire time she panned through her contacts, clicked call, and listened to the steady ringing. _'Maybe she won't pick up. But, then, would it be rude not to leave a voice—'_

"_Hello?"_

"Um, hi! Hi, Terri, it's… it's Emma."

"_Oh, hi, Emma!"_

"So, um…"

"_Oh, hey, how'd you get my number?"_

'_Oh my gosh! Really, how stupid am I? Of course, her cell phone isn't listed, so she's obviously going to wonder! I probably seem like such a creep. Oh gosh, oh gosh… Uhhhh…'_

"Uhhh…"

"_You didn't get it from Will, did you" _Terri asked. Emma was just relieved that she had said something, anything, as long as it gave her more time to think. _"Because, well, he saw us talking in the hall yesterday and now he's all upset about it."_

"Oh, um, no, I didn't."

"_Oh, good. So anyway, what's up?"_

Emma felt her body start to relax again. Well, at least back to the state of uncontrollable shaking it had started out in.

"Well, I was just calling to ask you… You mentioned that you might like to… hang out, or something, again. I mean, if you wanted, I was thinking that maybe you might want to do something. Um, you know, like hang out, again. Whenever, really. Well, um, some time, I guess. If you wanted, I mean…"

Emma smacked her forehead. She was behaving as if she was asking someone out on a date, which is something she would never have the courage to do. This was simply going out with a girl friend. Or, whatever Terri was, anyway.

"_Sure, I know a bar that is great on Saturday nights. I'll pick you up around 8:30?"_

"Oh, okay! Great! See you then. Bye!"

Immediately after shutting her phone, Emma's eyes widened in disbelief. A bar? She had just agreed to go out to the bar. Emma panicked, making a mad dash for the shower.

What was she going to wear…?

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**A/N: Yay! I hope you guys liked it. (: I know not that much happened (I call it the second chapter hump), but the next chapter is their very first date! Hehe.**

**And if it seems like there's not a lot on how Terri is feeling about everything, there's kind of a reason for that and there will be a lot more from her soon!**

**Thanks and I would love any feedback!  
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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: First off, I deeply apologize for the delay, you guys! I've been working on this chapter every single day... I expected it to be the easiest to write, and it was by far the hardest. But, the fourth chapter was originally going to be the end of this one... But I realized that it needed to stand on it's own. So another update shouldn't be too far away!**

**I also really want to say thank you to all my readers! I never expected this pairing to get so much support. I really appreciate the reviews!**

**I got a lot of inspiration from rewatching Hell-O, Vitamin D, and Hairography. Terri is a great character, with many sides, and I hope this chapter provides some good insight to her! But there's plenty of Emma, too, don't worry.**

**Happy reading!  
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Terri ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, with exasperation. How had she sounded so cool on the phone? _'I know a great Saturday night bar! Really?' _She mocked herself. Sure, she and Kendra had been there a thousand times, but she had never actually gone _with_ anyone before. She and Will had stopped going out together ages ago. _'Oh, right about the time our marriage died!' _She shook her head in disgust.

But had Emma really asked her out? She certainly had sounded far too nervous for someone asking a friend to have a few drinks. Then again, she and Emma weren't really friends yet, were they? Things had changed drastically since their first run-in that week, though.

After finally moving on from Will, Terri had been feeling so much better about herself. Still, a part of her was left feeling incomplete. As much as she hated to admit it, Terri loved loving Will. It made her feel whole. It was her passion. The thing Will and Emma had always spoken so highly of. Terri never realized how important passion was to a person until she lost it.

But she didn't lose it, entirely. Terri had hated Emma, almost as passionately as she had loved Will. Emma had threatened to take away that passion that she now so desperately desired. Ultimately, her marriage had failed and the passion between her and Will was long gone. But it hadn't worn out, with Emma. It had only… changed. Terri longed to have that feeling again, so badly. She decided to go with what she was feeling for Emma.

Picking an outfit was proving more difficult for Terri, than usual. She had a lot of nice clothes, for every occasion, so usually, anything she put on was fine. Tonight, she had deemed trickier. She wouldn't admit it, but she wanted to impress Emma. But, at the same time, she didn't want to look like she was trying to pick up guys. Even though she had never 'been in the game' as an adult, Terri knew it wasn't hard for her to get attention. Whenever she and Kendra went to the bar, people were constantly trying to flirt with her, before she flashed the ring on her finger.

It was difficult to view her clothes properly, now that she had been crammed into her sister's guest bedroom. Terri pulled a number of shirts out of the closet and tossed them onto the bed, hoping they weren't too terribly wrinkled, from hanging much too close together, in the tiny closet.

Spotting a past favorite, Terri put on the deep purple with black lace overlay corset top. Looking in the mirror, the demi cups were over the top and the spaghetti straps seemed too youthful. She had just turned thirty, after all… Unlacing and taking off the corset, Terri replaced the top with an olive green, form-fitting tank top, with a flattering cowl neck. She paired it simply, with dark wash skinny jeans and black pumps.

Terri checked her watch. It was already 8:15. She grabbed her white purse and a light, black jacket and started to leave her room. Quickly, she turned back and stuffed the corset into her purse, just in case.

* * *

Saying Emma was currently panic stricken would be the understatement of the century. After taking her shower, Emma had been frantically recleaning everything that was already spotless. While she had been showering, it dawned on her that people rarely visited her at her condo. Will hadn't even seen it, and now, his wife was about to. Why had she been so quick to agree to these plans? Yes, she was excited to go out with Terri, but she should have requested to alter the game plan a bit.

Emma could hardly recall the last time she had been to a bar. During her last couple years of college, once she turned twenty-one, she had gone fairly often. Usually, however, she was the designated driver, out of her friends.

Spending so much time cleaning soon turned from necessity, to a regret. Terri would be arriving in forty-five minutes and Emma hadn't even started getting ready. Hesitantly, she quickly inspected a few remaining surfaces and put down the 409, heading to her room.

Given her lack of experience, Emma was certainly not familiar with bar protocol—especially dress. She did her make up as normal and curled her hair, slightly more than usual. It seemed suitable. But when she came face to face with her open closet, Emma realized she had no idea what to wear. She had a few pairs of jeans, but if she was going out, shouldn't she wear a dress?

She decided on a short sleeved, collared, button up dress, which was dark purple, and paired it with her favorite gold pumps. At 8:30, she was standing in front of her living room mirror, debating on whether or not to do up the third button. This was interrupted by a knock at the door, which caused Emma to jump, even though she knew who to expect.

"Hey Emma, it's Terri!" the woman called, from behind the closed door, which Emma was quick to open.

"Hi, Em!" Terri said, entering through the doorway and glancing around the room before her eyes landed back on Emma. "Uh, whoa."

Emma felt her nerves getting to her. "What is it? The condo's too clean? Or is it my dress…? My hair?"

"Uh, all of the above?"

Emma's face formed a pout.

"Calm down, hon! It's a good thing I came early…" Terri continued, trying to ease Emma's worry a bit.

Terri was already heading back towards Emma's bedroom, by the time she had a chance to respond. "But, you said 8:30 and it's—"

Terri turned around, just briefly. "We weren't actually going to get there at 8:45," she said, smiling at Emma, before turning back around and welcoming herself into Emma's room.

"Um, this is my bedroom…" Emma started.

"Yeah, sorry, didn't mean to barge in, but I wasn't too worried about walking into a mess. Although, I am a little disappointed to find out that you don't have a secret collection of sex toys, or something." God, she couldn't help herself. Terri loved teasing the woman.

Emma blushed.

Terri pulled the corset top out of her purse and tossed it to Emma. "Here, wear this. I'm pretty sure we're the same size. And look, you still get to wear purple!"

Emma's eyes widened at the very small piece of clothing she had been handed. Terri rifled through the rows and rows of skirts Emma owned, finally settling on one that was plain black and a cotton and spandex blend.

"This'll do." Terri stated, tossing it to Emma, as well.

"Th-that skirts is only for certain shirts that don't go with my normal skirts… I um, don't really wear that one very often."

"Emma, a sexy girl like you needs to wear something like this," Terri said, sounding far more serious than she intended. She feigned a cough and covered her mouth, handing a pair of black peep toe stilettos to Emma. "Okay, now try it on! The bars close at 2:00am, you know."

Emma's mouth dropped a little bit, as Terri left her standing there. She took a deep breath. She could wear these clothes. She could keep up with Terri. It was time for a change.

Outside, in the hallway, Terri was mentally kicking herself for acting so uncool around Emma. Even though it was hardly noticeable, Terri felt it and hated the idea of being out of control. Counseling had her working to improve many aspects of her life, but she would always be a controlling person, that was for sure.

Once she was dressed, Emma looked in the mirror. The skirt was an awkward length and there were strings hanging from her back. "Um, Terri… I really don't think this fits right."

Terri walked back in, to a very insecure looking Emma. "You're fine, we just have to lace you up. And fold the top of this skirt over," Terri said, making the alterations. She stepped back, as they both looked into the mirror. "Wow. You look amazing." They were the same size, but the corset seemed to flatter Emma, perfectly.

Emma smiled, mouthing, 'thank you.'

"Not so fast, missy," Terri said, grabbing Emma by the shoulders and ushering her over to the queen sized bed, sitting her down. "We have a few more things to take care of."

Terri didn't explain anything she was doing and Emma didn't ask. Pulling out her make up bag, Terri added some smoky gray eye shadow and burgundy lipstick. Then, she climbed up on to the bed, situating herself behind Emma. With a few bobby pins, she pinned up Emma's red curls.

"Alright, what do you say we hit the road?" Terri said, getting up and putting everything away again.

Emma, still sitting on the bed, beamed up at her, smiling with her teeth and her eyes. "Terri, I'm… I'm so excited." Emma hadn't felt this excited in a long time.

* * *

When they pulled up, around 9:30, Emma thought that the place actually looked quite nice. The bar was called 'Roxy's' and the sign was written in cursive. A few weeks ago, Emma probably would have refused to go in and started crying. But now, she figured there was not much to be afraid of. Besides, she did not want to ruin this night.

Even inside, Emma still enjoyed the appearance, but she was not at all fond of the smoke filled atmosphere. She coughed and started swatting at the air.

"Em, stop that," Terri said, grabbing her hand and lacing it with her own. "You'll be fine."

She ushered her over to the bar. Secretly, Terri was glad she had an excuse to walk in with Emma's hand in hers. Seeing how happy Emma was after the little makeover made it entirely worth it, to Terri. But now that they were surrounded by people, she was feeling rather insecure. It wasn't at all a feeling of jealousy towards Emma. It was the fact that Emma did not even realize what a knock out she was. Terri had come to spend time with Emma and she did not want anyone taking that away from her.

She sat beside her, at the bar, requesting a vodka martini, before looking over at Emma, so she could order.

"Oh, um, I'll have a martini, too, I suppose… Just the regular type is fine." Emma said, nervously.

Terri smiled. The girl would be a pro, in no time.

Emma tapped the surface of the bar uncomfortably, her drink sitting in front of her. She tried to keep her pacing the same as Terri's, but found it impossible to consume the small beverage so slowly. Terri was only just past halfway through hers, when Emma took the last remaining sip.

It had been so long since Emma had more than a glass of wine that she hardly remembered what it felt like to have a stronger drink. Her mind grew both cloudy and clear, at the same time. She found her thoughts drifting to what had happened with Will and where things were going with Terri. Usually, she pushed those ideas out of her mind, when her thoughts got too intense, but now, she did not mind pondering them.

"Emma, this is fun! I'm really glad you called me," Terri shouted, over the loud music and chatter of their fellow patrons. Emma rested her head against her hand, steadying her focus. "Hey, you never told me how you got my number! That was convenient, huh?"

"Actually, I got it off your file, at work," Emma blurted the words before even thinking about them. She gasped, immediately after they came out, horrified and placing a hand over her mouth.

Terri, on the other hand, was flattered. "Well, at least that lousy job was good for something!" She would have imagined her nurse stunt would have permanently ruined her relationship with Emma, rather than bring them closer.

While all she and Terri had had before was tension, Emma was finally starting to feel more and more comfortable with her. She waited for Terri to finish her drink, so they could order a second round, together. This time, she focused on sipping it slowly, as her stomach had filled up some. Emma was never a very touchy person, due to the germs, but currently, she felt numb to them.

"You know, this is a very nice change. I mean, I love my sister to death, but now that I'm living with her… Well, it's just too much to go out with her, too," Terri said.

Emma rested her elbow on the bar and placed her other hand on top of Terri's, stroking it with her thumb, as she spoke. "Yes, it's good to have balance. It's not healthy to, you know, invest too much of yourself in one person." Emma was obviously referring to Will. Her heightened emotions got to her for a moment, before she laughed it off, a bit. "Well, I guess I wouldn't really know anything about that… I've always pretty much been on my own." She smiled at a bit sadly, squeezing Terri's hand, before releasing it and picking up her drink, to polish it off.

Terri felt her face flush and looked down, distracted her now vacated hand with the stem of her martini glass. "I can't help but wonder what that's like, though. I've never known what it's like to be alone. I suppose that's how Will obtained such a strong hold on me." She sighed. Now that she was free, some of the impact her (almost) ex-husband had on her life was causing lasting issues.

Emma looked sad, for a moment, probably contemplating the same thing as Terri. But Emma had gotten a lot stronger, lately, and she was sick and tired of Will getting in the way of her life. He had practically possessed her for so long, that she hardly knew how to live without him. She could hardly imagine what it had done to Terri, as she had been with him for half her life.

Suddenly, Emma slammed her hands on the bar, shouting, "You know what? Screw you, Will Schuester!" Then to the bartender, "Can we get a couple of shots over here?" The man passed them over to her and she handed one to Terri. "To moving on… together," Emma said, clinking her small glass against Terri's, as they downed the caramel colored liquid… together.

Terri sat, still slightly stunned, while allowed the warm liquid to invade her body. Across from her, Emma was tilting her down, smirking up at her with glossy eyes.

"Emma, how often do you drink?" Terri asked, surprised by the drastic change in manner a bit of alcohol was having on the other woman.

Emma made a mock-thinking face and declared, "The last time I drank was almost as long ago as the last time I had sex!"

This confused Terri, as Emma had been dating Will just a few weeks ago, but she wasn't given much time to dwell on it.

"Oh my gosh!" Emma had spun her bar stool around and was now staring directly at the karaoke stage, mouth ajar. "Terri, w-we have to go! I can't be here!"

"Wait, no… What's wrong, Emma?" Terri looked in the same direction as Emma. A very short, blonde woman was singing some Shania Twain song, moving about the stage in a very sloppy manner.

"That's April Rhodes! Will slept with her!" Emma shouted, completely distraught.

"WHAT?" Terri snapped. It was bad enough that he had seduced Emma, but now Will was just letting any ole tramp invade her bed?

"Well, I don't know if they had sex, but they _did _sleep together! Terri, I can't do this. We have to leave, now." Emma buried her face in her hands, her shoulders starting to shake.

Terri wasn't having it. "Emma, listen to me!" She grabbed Emma's barstool and inverted it, so that they were facing each other. "What did you just say, five minutes ago? Fuck you, Will Schuester!" Emma's eyes bugged, a bit, at Terri's paraphrasing. Terri, knowing she possessed more colorful language, brushed it off and grabbed Emma's hands, continuing. "Emma, you have gotten so much stronger. You stood up to Will, himself. You don't need him! I mean, look… If this is the kind of woman Will is running around with, now, we can both do much better."

Emma sniffed, though fortunately, no tears had yet escaped. "No, you-you're right, Terri. I just… I never should have let myself love him so much. It was too much."

Terri felt her body tense up a bit. She could not stand the idea of both Emma and Will being in love with each other. But, she had been aiming to help Emma through this, for a while, now.

"It's not your fault. Just don't let it get in the way of your life anymore. You should make the most of tonight. In fact, you should be able to see that girl here and being completely unaffected. Because you've done well, Emma. Will no longer has that hold on you."

"You're right!" Emma declared, nailing a fist into her bare thigh. "You know, I just had an idea. I should sing!"

"What? You sing?" Terri asked, shocked and excited at the same time.

"Well, sort of. I just think it would be good therapy for me! You know, get me to, um, step outside my comfort zone some…"

Emma looked a little nervous, but Terri could tell she had a lot more confidence than normal, tonight, for a number of reasons.

"Well, get up there and knock 'em dead, babe!" Terri said, nudging Emma's shoulder, encouragingly.

Emma skipped off towards the stage, glancing back to smile a Terri a couple times. Terri watched her walk up and choose her song, then snatching the microphone right from April's hands.

Honestly, from the day she had found Emma with "The Jazz Singer" at Will's apartment, she had felt the need to be protective. While she tried to make it sound like she just wanted to keep Emma away from her man, Terri could see how much she cared about him and she didn't want to see Will break another heart as badly has he had done to hers. It had been nearly impossible for Terri to get past it and she expected Emma would never be strong enough to do so. But already, she seemed so much better, after only about a week. Terri was so proud of her.

"_Right now, he's probably slow dancing with a bleached-blonde tramp and she's probably getting frisky…" _Emma sang the first line of her song and Terri smiled at the beautiful red head standing proudly at the center of the stage. _'Wow, she has a beautiful voice…' _Terri always liked singers.

Terri turned her stool back around towards the bar—while still intently focusing in on Emma's voice—to order herself another drink. Though Terri knew Emma didn't drink all that much, and she wanted to be able to look out for her tonight, she knew they were both big girls and it would be okay for her to have a fun time, too. And given the tolerance Terri had built up over the years, she would need the extra drink to keep up.

Once she had her drink in hand, April Rhodes happened to sit down next to her, in Emma's seat. Terri sipped on her martini, keeping her eyes above the rim of glass, giving April a once-over.

"I'll take another appletini! Light on the apple, heavy on the tini…" April slurred.

Terri coughed. "Um, excuse me? Hi…" she said, in a mock polite voice.

"Well, hello there! I don't believe we met," April declared, eyes glistening.

"Oh, trust me, honey. You do not want to get formal with me," Terri said, in her usual manner. "You see that pretty girl, singing, up there? You are never to mess with her again. You got it?" Terri figured Will had informed April of Emma, if he had not actually slept with the blonde. Regardless, she didn't care. She wasn't even going to let Will hurt Emma again, let alone this skanky dwarf.

"Oh my, I can't even recall your girlfriend, honey. Then again, I haven't really been layin' off the booze, like I'm s'posed to!" April laughed, nudging her elbow at Terri, until she yanked her arm away.

"She's not—" Terri stopped herself, before April even interrupted.

"Look, I'm sorry if I caused a tiff between you and your ginger lady… Or if I led her on, before, or something… But I'm a heartbreaker. People should know what they're getting into, when they get with me. Guys, girls, whoever… I break their hearts. Ain't nothin' gonna change that." April patted Terri's shoulder.

Terri leaned in. "Listen here, you little rejected Barbie doll… You hurt her again and I swear, you'll have nothing left to save you, but your liquor."

"Well!" April scoffed, taking a sip of her green beverage and cocking her head. "I guess you told me!"

April walked off, with a loud, drunken "HA!", but Terri knew it was because she had no retaliation.

"_I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl, 'cause the next time that he cheats, oh, you know it won't be on me."_

Terri smiled and nodded at Emma, silently cheers-ing to her. _'Nope, not if I have anything to say about it.' _People didn't mess with Terri and they didn't mess with the people she cared about, if she had any say so, in the matter. Emma had been the next girl, for Will, after Terri. She may have been a little late, but Terri was going to make sure that Will didn't hurt her, anymore.

As Emma finished her song, Terri ordered them each another shot, to celebrate. Emma ran back to her seat, blushing, but giddy with excitement.

"Emma, you are so amazing! Here you go, babe," Terri said, handing Emma her shot glass. "To your kickass singing and your kickass attitude!"

Together, they downed the shots, Emma squealing with excitement, afterwards. She grasped Terri's hands and pressed their foreheads together, grinning wildly.

Terri felt her entire body soften; her face flushing. "Will was an idiot to have ever let you get away…" She tipped her chin up, slightly. Terri's lips pressed against Emma's, softly, their mouths locking together.

Slowly, they mutually pulled apart, Emma's eyes fluttering open. "Wow… Um, thank you!" Emma said, softly.

Terri placed a hand on Emma's knee, stroking it with her thumb. "You're welcome," she said, meekly.

"Order up!" Emma shouted to the bartender, spinning an entire circle in her chair, thusly, pulling away from Terri. "I'm really, really drunk!" Emma giggled, making her declaration to Terri.

Terri sighed, gently, clinking her glass against Emma's, once more.

* * *

A little after midnight, Terri and Emma made their way out of the bar and into the parking lot, arms linked for support. Emma, especially, was thoroughly wasted and could hardly walk in a straight line, constantly bumping and pulling Terri in the wrong direction.

"Terri, there's your car! Let's go!" Emma shouted.

"Uh, no, I don't think so!" Terri laughed. Emma was perhaps the most adorable drunk she had ever seen. "I'll pick it up tomorrow. I'll be calling us a cab, for tonight. But first, we need to get some food in our systems!"

"Oh, gosh, Terri, you're right! So much liquid… We need some, um, you know, some… solid food. Yeah!"

Terri smiled, leading Emma down the sidewalk. While fairly intoxicated herself, Terri was very good at handling herself, and others, in this kind of situation. She figured they would find some place that was open late at night, on the weekends. Incidentally, the first place they approached was the same diner they had been at, earlier in the week.

The two girls found the irony a lot funnier than it actually was, laughing loudly, as they entered the twenty-four hour restaurant. The place was a lot busier at this hour, than it had been the last time they came, in the late afternoon.

It took longer than necessary for the hostess to seat them, given Emma's inability to maneuver through the tables and booths. Once they were finally settled into their booth at the back of the diner, the same waiter from Wednesday greeted them.

Terri rolled her eyes and scoffed, louder than necessary. "Really? You, again?"

"It's nice to see you, too, Mrs. Schuester…" the boy responded, sarcastically.

"Listen here, buddy… My name may be Mrs. Schuester, but I am not Mrs. Schuester!" Terri exclaimed, in what made sense to her.

"Yeah, buddy! Can't you see she's with me?" As Emma pointed a thumb at herself, Terri whipped her head around, to smile, appreciatively, at the girl sitting across from her.

"I, uh…" the boy stuttered.

"Alright, that's enough," Terri said, silencing him. "We'll have two hamburgers and fries and two cokes. Run along!" After he left, Terri finished, by saying to Emma, "Trust me, you're gonna need this…"

Less than an hour later, Terri was telling the taxi driver to pull over.

"Terri, I think I'm going to be sick!" Emma shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know you are, baby. I'm so sorry," Terri said, slightly upset with herself for not cutting Emma off sooner. But really, she had felt like it wasn't her place. At least she had significantly sobered up, by this point, so she was able to take good care of Emma.

"N-no! I can't p-puke! Too… germy!" Emma was sitting on the edge of the car seat, her spinning head sticking out into the cool, night air, while Terri sat on the other side, rubbing her back.

Emma cursed herself for letting things get so out of hand. She should have known that she would not be able to handle that much liquor, but it had made her so much more confident around Terri… She was dreading explaining that one to her counselor.

"I promise, you'll feel so much better after you get it all out," Terri insisted.

"But you said that if I ate the h-hamburger… It would help, to, um… Ah, you know…" Emma pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead.

"Emma, you drank an awful lot… You could have eaten a sponge it wouldn't have absorbed all that alcohol."

At the sound of that word, Emma leaned over and hurled onto the side of the road. Terri kept rubbing her back, as it continued.

"What, big sorority reunion?" the cab driver asked, glancing at Terri through his mirror.

"Excuse me?" Terri snapped.

"I mean, aren't you guys a little old for this…?"

"Your job is to drive me and my friends around, so that we can drink as much as we please. Stick to that. Yeah, eyes on the road, buddy," Terri responded.

The dab driver huffed, but did in fact redirect his attention to the road in front of them, as Emma finished and shifted back into the car and shut the door.

"Don't you feel better?" Terri asked, wrapping an arm around Emma's shoulder.

"Yes, actually… But I really need to brush my teeth."

Within ten minutes, they had pulled up to Emma's condo. With shaky legs, Emma started to make her way out of the car, but rested her hand against its top and leaned back down. "Aren't you coming up?" she asked Terri, hopefully.

"Oh, um, yes, I suppose I should be helping you get settled in for the night…" Emma seemed to disregard everything after 'yes,' leaving Terri to wonder if she would be staying the night. Actually, it was more a question of if she should stay the night.

Terri double-timed the pace of her clicking heels, as Emma was already steps ahead of her, though not moving very gracefully. Once inside, she grimaced, watching Emma messing up her perfect kitchen, attempting to get a glass of ice water.

Gently pulling the cup from Emma's hands, Terri said, "Here, let me. You go get changed, okay?"

She cleaned up the stray ice cubes, added fresh ones, and poured the water from Emma's water filter. Terri smiled at it. Of course Emma had a water purifier.

By the time she had gotten to the bedroom, Emma had collapsed on the bed, still in her clothes and heels.

"Here you go, Em. Try and drink some before you completely fall asleep… and maybe take those heels off." Terri set the glass on a coaster that was on Emma's nightstand.

Emma lifted her heavy head, with much effort, propping it against her hand. "Thank you so much, Terri. For everything. I mean it. All of it…"

Terri smiled at her, even though Emma's eyes were anything but focused. "You're welcome!" She hesitated for a moment. "Emma, would you mind if I slept on the couch? It's getting late and… I mean, I'll put a sheet down and—"

"No, sleep here," Emma said, groggily, releasing her head so that it fell back onto the pillow as her hand smacked the empty spot beside her.

"A-are you sure?"

"Please… it's so spinny…"

After slipping off her own shoes, Terri took off Emma's, and then slowly crawled into the bed; Emma's bed. She was no longer spinning, but practically shaking. Emma scooted over, pressing her back into Terri's chest. Terri felt as electricity was softly flowing through her body.

She stroked Emma's hair, even though it was still full of bobby pins.

"How's the spinning?" she asked, quietly.

"Better now. I feel a little more… secure."

Terri smiled, wondering how often people made Emma feel secure, or how often Emma ever felt secure, at all.

"Okay, try and get some sleep, then," Terri said, feeling Emma's deep breathing and watching her eyes flutter shut.

"Terri…" Emma whispered. "No one's ever been in this bed before…"

Terri grinned, through multiple levels of satisfaction. She waited until Emma fell asleep, before wrapping an arm around the girl's waist, and drifting off, herself.

* * *

**A/N: Ah, these two have so much to learn about each other... and themselves! I keep getting more and more excited about their journey. I hope you guys enjoyed. Please review! (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the awesome feedback! I really appreciate hearing everything you guys think. It's really encouraging and it makes me take everything into consideration. You guys are so supportive and I don't ever want to disappoint!**

**Yay for the return of Terri! If you haven't yet listened to the studio version of "Loser," do it, because Jessalyn sounds amazing... Even if it is only background vocals! She needs more. Terri is so my new favorite.**

**Anyway, I'm all emotional, with the season coming to a close... So I'm more dedicated to this than ever! Please tell me what you guys think. It really helps make the story stronger. I read and respond to everything and really appreciate it all!**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Emma awoke to a fresh strip of sunlight, peaking through her blinds, hitting her barely open eyes and causing her head to throb. She shifted, trying to escape the glare, then nearly jumped at the realization of the arm that was currently draped over her. Her panic slowly subsided, once she remembered it was just Terri. _'Just Terri…?' _She had invited Terri Schuester into her bed!

As soon as she glanced at the alarm clock next to her, Emma did, in fact, jump. Bolting upright, she gasped, pushing a hand into her disshelved updo. "Oh my gosh! The staff meeting!"

Terri stirred, grabbing her own head. It seemed far too early to be waking up, after a night at the bar. "Em? What is it?"

Jumping out of the queen sized bed, Emma ran towards the bathroom. Had she really gone to bed without brushing her teeth? She pushed the horrific thought out of her mind and took her toothbrush with her—which was certainly not a regular habit—and started searching through her drawers for a pair of jeans.

Emma paused to run back into the bathroom and finish her teeth brushing, before resuming her frantic search in the bedroom. "I have a staff meeting and I'm already late! I can't believe I forgot…" Emma said, hardly acknowledging the person she was answering.

Terri sat up in the bed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and unsure what to do. "Can't you skip it?" she asked. "You really should sleep some more…" If it hadn't hit her yet, Emma probably would not be feeling too pleasant, once she calmed down.

"Oh, I can't! I missed the last two, because I was in the middle of my resignation, and then I was avoiding Will, and, well, Figgins said I absolutely had to or—!" Emma didn't really know what the 'or' was, but she was distracted, anyway, pulling on a pair of jeans and ripping bobby pins from her hair.

Still sitting awkwardly in the panic-stricken woman's bed, Terri was at a loss for what to do. While she did not want Emma to leave, she definitely did not want Emma to leave her here. "Emma, just—"

"Terri, I'm so sorry, but I really have to go!" Emma grabbed her keys and a black blazer, nearly speed walking out of the room, before halting and turning back. "Oh! Gosh, um, make yourself at home. You know, help yourself to, um… things." Emma cringed, not yet fully comfortable with the idea of anyone making themselves comfortable in her own home. But at this point, she had no other choice. "Okay, I'll see you soon…? I'm sorry! I'm—. Bye, Terri!"

With that, Emma had left the room, and just seconds later, Terri heard the front door close. She sat there, in a state of shock, never having felt more uncomfortable in someone else's bed. Not that Emma's bed wasn't comfortable. It certainly had been last night…

Terri jumped out of the bed, snapping back into reality. If it weren't for a number of circumstances, Emma would not want Terri occupying her house that morning, without her accompaniment.

They had both fallen asleep in their clothes. Terri would have changed, but asking for a pair of Emma's pajamas would have been completely out of the question, even if they were the same size, and Terri had leant her top to Emma (which she was still wearing).

Aside from that, they had left the room a complete mess. Well, technically, it couldn't even be considered a bit scattered. But compared to the state Terri had seen it in yesterday, it may as well have been hit by a tornado.

Terri picked up Emma's clothes off of the floor and threw them in the hamper, then returned the shoes to where she had originally seen them in the closet. She lingered there, for a moment, scoping out the personal closet of Emma Pillsbury. That's where the secrets lie, after all. But for someone as, well, unique, as Emma, there was just nothing very personal about her home—aside from the freakish cleanliness.

Grabbing the glasses off of Emma's nightstand, Terri went to the kitchen to dump out the water and place them in the dishwasher. Then, she popped a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster, since Emma had said to make herself at home.

Sitting at the island counter, she ate her toast. It felt good to get something in stomach, given all the alcohol that was still in her body, after last night. Terri should have left by now, but that meant putting a definitive end to all that was last night.

She had kissed Emma. She and Emma had kissed.

When she accepted her feelings for Emma, even if she did not fully understand them, Terri had decided not to hold back. It wasn't in her character to do so. Besides, if Emma was truly put off by anything she was doing, she would know it.

Then again, last night had not been a very accurate representation of anything. While she may have been slightly more open and vulnerable than usual, Terri had meant everything she said. But the frazzled woman she had witnessed this morning was probably a much more accurate portrayal of Emma, than the confident, flirty little party animal she had encountered last night. But drunken actions were sober thoughts. Or that was how the saying went, at least.

Terri cleaned every visible mess she could find. It was creepy and awkward, but Terri felt oddly comforted by moving about the condo. She hadn't had a place to call home, in a while, only rooms, to define her. With Will, it had been the craft room, which had quickly transformed into a painful reminder of the desperation she had turned to. And now, she rarely left the guest bedroom, unwilling to deal with the dysfunction in her new place of living.

After finishing, Terri grabbed the extra set of keys that were lying on Emma's counter and locked the door, slipping them back under the crack. While Emma's condo wasn't 'home,' at least it was a place she wanted to come back to, again.

* * *

Emma felt completely horrified, every time she was forced to glance at her mirrors. The only make up she was wearing was the leftover, smudged black eyeliner and shadow that she had worn last night. Her hair was still curled, but after taking it down, it looked completely unkempt. But without a doubt, the worst part about her appearance, however, was the fact that she was still wearing the corset, demi cup top, underneath her black blazer.

Despite the hours of therapy she would have to endure, in order to get over it, Emma was surprisingly thankful for the debacle that was her morning. Admittedly, she had probably exaggerated it, a bit. But it had been necessary, in order to avoid what would have been an incredibly awkward awakening.

Focusing on not crying, due to her lack of cleanliness, and getting to the school as quickly as possible, without any traffic violations, had been doing a pretty good job of distracting Emma from the previous night's events. But now, every time she caught sight of herself, she was reminded of everything. Even given her drunken state, not a single detail had slipped her mind.

How had she let things get so out of hand? Somehow, the singing, yelling, stumbling, puking, and passing out didn't really get to her. Aside from the germs, it all came down to the effects alcohol could have on a person. That, she could accept and move on from. But the way she had acted towards Terri was a completely different story.

She had kissed Terri Schuester. Or had Terri kissed her? But she had definitely kissed back…

Emma shook her head, as if trying to sort out her thoughts. She had been very, very drunk last night. And alcohol lowered your inhibitions and the ability to make quick decisions. So, that meant she would have done things she wouldn't normally do—like karaoke, for instance. But Emma liked singing and she would want to do that, under normal circumstances, if she had the confidence. So, did lowered inhibitions result in heightened confidence? That would mean that Emma would have kissed Terri, sober, if she was a more confident person.

This was absolutely absurd. Emma Pillsbury was the definition of chaste, and yet, she had kissed a girl. And it had been Terri Schuester, let alone just any girl. True, Terri had turned out to be a pretty good friend, but that did not change who she was. Or who Emma was, for that matter.

'_Yes, it was definitely the alcohol,' _Emma told herself, as she pulled her SUV into her place in the school parking lot. Fortunately, there was no chance for a counter argument, as she had to pull herself together, as best as she could possibly manage.

Emma walked into the staff lounge five minutes late, but fortunately, everyone was just starting to sit down. Of course, Will was still standing near the front, having just fixed a cup of coffee. Emma tried to simply walk past him, but there was no way she would go unnoticed.

"Emma…?" The look on Will's face went beyond shock and concern, and came across to Emma as pure mortification.

"Come off it, Will!" She snapped her head back around to glare at him, before storming to the far back corner and isolating herself, to pout. This was not supposed to happen to her! It was so unfair that he was even seeing her like this…

Will did not dare approach the back of the room, at all, but continued to observe her from a table towards the front. He didn't really need to worry about being discreet, as Emma was cradling the side of her head in one of her palms and had slumped down in her chair, rather than sport her usual perfect posture.

As much as Will hated to admit it, even just internally, Emma looked like one big hot mess. Both her hair and makeup were not only undone, but very uncharacteristic of Emma. Plus, under her blazer, she was wearing a shirt that more closely resembled lingerie, and would have been inappropriate for anyone at the staff meeting, let alone Emma Pillsbury. She almost looked nauseous, sitting there. If Will didn't know any better, he would have thought she was completely hung over.

'_Wait a minute…' _Will looked back at the shirt, trying not to focus on how her body looked in it, as he had more to be concerned about. He had seen that top before… in his house, in fact. It was Terri's! He was certain it was her exact shirt, too, because there was no way Emma actually owned something like that. So, that explained the hangover… But why had she gone out with Terri?

Will spent the duration of the meeting pondering different scenarios and explanations, while Emma struggled not to puke all over Sue Sylvester's track suit. Before Figgins could even properly dismiss them, people were already starting to leave, and Will could see Emma struggling to make a beeline for the exit.

"Emma, wait!" Will said, reaching out and grabbing her arm.

"Don't touch me!" Emma snapped, pulling her arm away from him, quickly. It was not about anything in particular, but she already felt like she was going to be sick and didn't want to further risk it.

Will's mouth dropped open a bit. He had hoped Emma's counseling would have been helping. He shook his head. This had to be Terri's doing. She was the most manipulative person he knew. "What is she doing to you, Em…?"

"Wh-what are you talking about, Will?" Emma stammered. He had already messed up her life enough, on his own, and now he had to start directly interfering?

"Terri is angry with the both of us, Emma. She's extremely bitter and all she does is get vindictive. It makes sense that she would try and seek revenge on you…" He said, not wanting to be too harsh, while still getting his point across. He still cared about Emma and wanted to win her back, but that would become impossible if she was under the influence of Terri.

She didn't even bother questioning how he knew. Tears were welling up in her eyes, she was feeling sicker than ever, and just wanted him to stop. "Leave me alone, Will. I don't want to talk about this. Especially not with you…" She turned away and walked off, not looking back.

She did hear him call after her, "Emma, be careful!"

* * *

Somewhere between throwing up in the back parking lot and the drive back to her condo, Will's words sunk in and Emma's pain, confusion, and hurt all developed into fury. Her morning had been absolutely dreadful and she had humiliated herself multiple times, since last night. There was one person to blame for everything, and that was Terri.

How had Emma forgotten how manipulative Terri had been? And even worse, how had she allowed herself to be manipulated by her? Terri had lied to everyone and used whoever she could, to get what she wanted. And she placed blame on other people, for everything that she had done to herself—especially Emma. Of course she wanted revenge. Terri was a sneaky, lying, manipulative bitch. Emma wouldn't even be surprised if she had found out about Emma's staff meeting and had taken her out on purpose, just so she would embarrass herself in front of Will.

And on top of everything else, she had kissed her! How far was this woman willing to go to get under skin her skin? Emma was never too quick to trust people, but of all people, how could she have let her guard down to Terri Schuester?

Emma had finally grown tired of people abusing her, when Will had gone behind her back and hurt her. After all the progress she had made, there was no way she would tolerate it, coming from his horrible wife.

She picked up her phone and dialing, standing in the middle of the living room, because she knew there was no way she could ever do this sitting down.

"_Hey, Emma! I hope—"_

"Terri! I have something to say to you and you better listen and, um, listen good!" She felt her voice shake, but she could not falter. This was important.

"_Um, okay…"_

"I don't know what I was thinking, letting you manipulate me like this. But I have had people taking advantage of me for far too long and I am not putting up with it anymore! Especially not from someone like you!" She had made far too much progress to allow Terri to ruin her life any more than she already had. God, these Schuesters were awful, miserable people.

"_No, Emma! I swear, I would never—. Those weren't my intentions!"_

"Terri, you and I both know what kind of person you are! You're never going to change… And apparently, neither am I."

Emma snapped her phone shut, without a second thought. She sat on the couch and waited for the feeling of liberation to come over her, like it had when she first stuck up for herself, to Will. But it did not come. This time, the only thing to rush over her, was the tears.

* * *

As soon as she heard the other line click, Terri allowed the cell phone to slide from her hands and fall onto the bed, not even bothering to hang up, herself.

She stared, blankly, at the white walls in front of her, that she hadn't even bothered decorating. She had never heard Emma sound so… angry. Even when she interrupted her date preparation at Will's apartment, it was more a tone of defense, confidence, and honor.

Terri sighed, with a shaky breath, immediately regretting the decision, as it triggered a tear from each eye to roll down her cheeks. She couldn't have said she would never treat Emma the way she had described, because at one point, she would have. But she had changed! And so had her feelings for Emma. But one thing never would, and that, was Emma's hatred towards her.

If Terri had known, back then, how horrible Emma had felt, every time Will rejected her, she thought she might have given him up to her. Because no one deserved this kind of pain… especially not Emma.

Terri put her needlepoint aside and crawled under the covers, thankful she had an excuse to stay in bed all day, nursing her 'hangover.'

* * *

**A/N: Try not to hate me too much! ): They're both pretty clouded right now... especially Emma. I know this chapter seemed a little filler, but it's leading up to everything... and then hopefully all of the confusion will be explained!**

**Also, I've already figured out how the next chapter is going to go, so hopefully I'll have a lot to give you guys, and soon! Every time I'm writing, things get more in depth than I expect. So I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter and hearing what you guys think about this one!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: FINALLY! I'm probably more relieved to finally have this chapter done, than you guys! Not that I don't love it... But parts of this chapter were really difficult to write. I'm kind of nervous about this chapter, actually. But there are a lot of very enjoyable moments, so I really hope you guys like it!**

**There's definitely a lot going on, so please, let me know what you think about everything! I take it all into consideration.**

**Enjoy. (:  
**

* * *

Terri did everything all wrong.

Her stilettos went next to her flats and sandals, not her work shoes. And her jeans went in the blue side of the hamper, not the white one—obviously. Plus, there were crumbs in the crumb tray of her toaster, which was supposed to be emptied after every use.

Yet, Emma had left everything that way, for the past two weeks.

After the initial shock, it seemed sort of comforting, having Terri's mark on her place. As if, at least someone had given it some personality. It should have driven her completely crazy, but Emma could not bring herself to change it all back. She feared it would make it seem as if her brief, yet significant friendship with Terri had never happened. Emma knew it had all been fake. But just like it had been with her relationship with Will, that fact didn't make it hurt any less.

She had adjusted to the disorganization. It wasn't until she wanted to make toast before work that morning, that she noticed, once again. There had not been an occasion where she would have needed her stilettos and like she had said, she never wore that skirt, anyway. But there was no way Emma could bring herself to use the toaster, without cleaning it out, afterwards.

'_Look at yourself… She's not even your friend. She never was. You allowed yourself to be a puppet in her little game. And you still are, if you don't take control and make the damn toast!'_

Emma stood just outside of the kitchen, with clenched fists, for several minutes, before glancing down at her watch. She was going to be late. Her home was practically taunting her, as she grabbed a banana and a granola bar and left for work.

Work had been miserable, lately. If it weren't for the fact that she really did enjoy her profession, Emma would have completely regretted the decision to keep her job. All it had been, recently, was a constant reminder of everything Will had put her through—especially, when he would not leave her alone.

She tried her best to avoid him, mostly staying in her office, booking as many appointments as she could. But he managed to find her, every time she had to run an errand or step in the staff lounge for coffee. Yes, she was proud of herself for being able to stick up to Will, but since their big scene a few weeks back, it was especially awkward when they were seen together at school. Nowadays, Emma was happy to be alone at the copy machine with Ken Tanaka.

"Emma!"

Since she had grown accustomed to visiting the staff lounge as little as possible, Will had grown accustomed to hanging out in the hallway by her office as much as possible.

She did not turn around to acknowledge him, but Will followed Emma into her office, anyway.

"Can I sit?" he asked.

Instead of answering, she merely nodded at the chair in front of her, as she sat down in her own. It definitely wasn't like she wanted to talk to him, but she was tired of fighting his persistence.

"Emma… I know I've hurt you. But lately, you only seem to be growing more upset. I haven't seen you smile once, in the past two weeks. I keep trying—I want to say I'm sorry and try to fix this, or at least help you feel better. But you won't let me. And I hate not being able to do anything."

Emma had been more miserable over the past two weeks, than she had been during the one when she had fought with Will. But it wasn't about Will, anymore. Well, it was… It was about what Will had done to her and what Terri had done to her and the fact that through all of that, Emma still could not manage to take control of her life.

Will looked at her, with sadness in his eyes. He did truly care about her. That should have made what Will did hurt more than what had happened with Terri, but it didn't. Emma didn't feel strong for defending herself, like she had when it was with Will. She felt weaker than ever and that feeling simply would not fade. Terri had helped her heal, when Will had left her heartbroken. But sitting here with Will was only making her realize how much worse hurt could feel, the second time around.

Emma opened her mouth to speak and her breath hitched, causing her to choke back a sob. "Could you leave now? Please?"

"Emma, you have no idea how—"

"Will. Please?" she requested, once more.

His jaw dropped, slightly, and Emma knew he wanted to protest. But tears were welling up in the back of her eyes and she gave him a look that told him she couldn't last another second.

As soon as the door clicked behind him, Emma's face was buried in her hands, soaking her face with tears and mascara. She didn't even care who saw her, through her glass office. It was better if everyone thought she was still upset over Will. Even after her outburst a few weeks back, it was still far less humiliating this way.

At this point, what Emma could not control the most, was how she still felt about Terri Schuester.

* * *

Will sighed, as he made his way into his office. The past couple of weeks had been quite stressful, indeed. He cared about Emma so much and hated to see her so miserable—especially when it was probably due to him. At least if she was still upset, though, she had not just forgotten about him and moved on. That must mean there's still something there, between them, he figured. But the current state they were in wasn't getting him anywhere, either.

"Schuester!" Sue Sylvester made her way into his office, of course, without knocking. "You better call your little, blonde girlfriend and tell her I'm going to need her auditorium, this afternoon.

Will sighed and leaned back, against the wall. "Fine, Sue, take it. Whatever."

"That's it? No fight? I haven't even gotten to insult your hair yet." Will just rolled his eyes, as Sue squinted hers, in confusion. "What's the matter, William? The ginger girlfriend is still upset about your polygamous lifestyle?"

"I'm not practicing polygamy! And her name is Emma! God, Sue…" Will vented, in frustration.

"Oh, so it is about the little doe-eyed freak, then. Usually your lady troubles would bore me… Actually, they still do. But I'm looking to expand my psychological understanding of the deranged. So alright, lay it on me." Sue crossed her arms, staring him down, expectantly.

The last person Will wanted to discuss his personal life with was Sue Sylvester. But at this point, he didn't really have anyone else to talk to about the situation. Besides, what more could she do? She had already went to Emma about Shelby and April.

"It's just… I care about Emma," Will started, hesitantly. "I hate seeing her so upset. Especially when it's on account of me. Thanks for that, by the way."

Sue scoffed.

"I know, I know. It was still wrong. I'm just sick and tired of everyone interfering! First you… and now she's been hanging around my ex-wife. I know how Terri is, so that can't be helping matters any—"

"HA!" Will was cut off by Sue's roaring laughter, that wasn't showing any signs of ceasing. He winced, tempted to even cover his ears.

"What is so funny?" Will said, offended, though he should have been expecting it.

"Oh, boy, Schuester, you've hit an all time low, here. Although, I am a bit disappointed in myself… I guess I should have known, when you were the only man she was interested in. What, with that curly top hair thing you got going on and your obsession with show choir. Oh, would ya look at that… I got my hair joke in."

"Wait, what are you talking about, Sue?" Will asked, shaking his head in confused frustration.

"I think your beloved Ella has been so moody, because there's a bit too much estrogen in her life. If you know what I'm saying…" Sue spoke the last bit out the side of her mouth. "Well, they were both romantically involved with you, so I can't say it's any big surprise that she's batting for the other team…"

"Her name is _Emma. _And she's not moody… She's upset, over something I did. So if you're honestly implying—"

"Sue Sylvester doesn't do implications. These are the facts, William. I know you like to live your life in closeted denial, but once someone comes out of it, it's time to move on," Sue said, smirking and nodding, with a look of pity.

Will opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, holding up a hand.

"That's more than enough practice for me. Anymore, and I'm going to have to charge you. And given the current glee budget, you probably don't need to be paying for me to continue pointing out the obvious… Good day, William."

With that, Sue left his office, leaving Will standing there, mouth agape.

He tried to go over everything in his head, while processing what he had just been told. A friendly hug, a night out, sharing clothes, and sudden mood swings did not add up to… No. Sue was absolutely insane, as always.

But Terri was up to something. And he was losing Emma. Will was going to get to the bottom of both.

* * *

Emma sat on the edge of the plush, red couch, playing with the hem of her skirt. Usually, she did not feel this uncomfortable at her counseling appointments. It hadn't been easy for Emma to enter therapy, after years of living with her mysophobia. But in the beginning, that was all her sessions had ever been about. That, and Will, which she had also grown accustomed to discussing.

Her therapist, Kim, was extremely casual. The blonde woman, only a few years older than Emma, was open and interactive and always stressed to Emma that she could talk about anything she wanted to, in absolutely confidence.

But a lot had happened in the past two weeks, and Emma was more down than usual—and not for the usual reasons. In fact, other than his awkward confrontation at the staff meeting and his daily disturbances, Will had not been much of a factor in her emotional state. And the most recent events in her life had been pushing Emma far beyond her comfort zone.

It was much more relaxing to stick with what was comfortable.

"Wait, you haven't cleaned your house for the past two weeks?" Kim asked, in response to her recollection, since their past meeting.

Emma had not liked being pushed outside her comfort zone. It made her feel nervous and overwhelmed. But she could not say that being outside her comfort zone had been a bad place. She had, in fact, appreciated it.

"No, no, of course not," Emma said, shaking her hands and waving her hands in front of her face, briefly. "Just a few, er… messes, that someone else made." Emma said, nodding, moreso in reassurance to herself.

"Still, it's unlike you to allow any sort of mess to remain in your general vicinity, let alone your home," Kim said.

"That's the thing, though, Kim. It doesn't really seem like a mess. It made my house feel more homey. It actually looks a little lived in, for the first time since I moved in there."

"That's really good, Emma. But you didn't do any of those things yourself. So the person who, they must be really significant to you."

"No!" Emma accidently snapped, then quickly backed down. "They're awful…" she said, softly.

"For… making a mess?" Kim asked.

Emma knew Kim never wanted to pry, but rather, encourage her to open up. Progress was more efficient, if Emma was doing it on her own. Clearly, she wasn't doing a good job of that in therapy or at home.

Taking a deep breath, Emma knew she would have to open up, if she ever wanted to start feeling better again. Consequently, the person currently causing her the most grief was the only one who had made her feel good in the first place.

"Actually, um… a lot more happened, in the past couple of weeks. I've been having, um, some kind of feelings for this person, that don't make any sense. No sense at all," Emma confirmed, shaking her head.

"Why is that?" Kim asked, her face concerned.

"Well, um, for starters… They are… Gosh. This person is a girl," Emma said, softly. She could feel the lump forming in her throat, as she finally made the confession, out loud.

"Emma, if I remember correctly, you said you haven't had much experience and Will is the first person you've ever had very strong feelings for. I think you're still figuring out your sexuality. So, this could be quite valid. It might seem scary, but it's nothing to worry over or be ashamed of," Kim said.

"Right…" Emma said, blushing. She knew everything Kim said was true and she didn't think she could deny her attraction to the blonde bombshell much longer, anyway.

"But you said she is awful…?" Kim continued.

"Because, well… Um…" Emma stuttered. "The person… She… It's Terri Schuester! Will's wife…"

Kim did already know some about Terri. Emma had talked a lot about falling for a married man and the difficulties she had encountered. Certainly, she knew that Emma had not ever had the best relationship with Terri.

"Terri? How did that happen?" Kim asked.

Emma recounted everything, from the run-in at the parking lot, to seeing each other at work, to their night at the bar, and finally, the phone call she had made. She left out not a single detail, talking for nearly ten minutes straight.

"The thing is, she actually helped me to get over Will. I haven't even been upset about him, lately. I was actually really happy, until I fought with Terri, and now I'm just upset over her. But this is just so wrong of me, because she was only trying to destroy me, because she hates me! She wanted me to embarrass myself in front of him. Either that, or she wanted to win. Like, if she couldn't have Will, then he couldn't have me. And, you know, when she was with Will, all she ever did was lie to him, and—"

"Emma, you're making everything about Will, again," Kim said, cutting her off.

"Because it is! The only reason she did any of this was to get to Will! Why else would she want me to get over him?" Emma found her voice getting higher and more out of breath. She rarely became this frantic, even in therapy.

"Well, you two have that in common… Will was a big part of your lives, and ultimately, that hurt you both. Maybe she saw a chance to relate to someone."

"I did say something like that to her," Emma said, calmly, but only for a moment. "But she's a liar, Kim! How do I know this isn't all just part of her never ending scheme to get to Will?"

"Even as you started to put Will behind you, did her interest in you ever falter?" Kim asked, but Emma knew they were both aware of the answer, based on everything she had told her.

"No…" Emma said, looking down. She paused, taking a deep breath. "My, um… relationship with Will has ruined… so much. If Terri is only doing this on account of him… I couldn't handle it." She swallowed, hard, fighting back the sob in her throat.

"So, you're not really mad at Terri," Kim said. "You're…?"

"Scared," Emma finished, lifting her head up.

"That is totally understandable, Emma. You're dealing with something entirely new. This isn't the same chase you experienced, with Will. Terri, it seems, has been pursuing you," Kim stated. "It's hard for me to know exactly how she feels, without having spoken to her, but Emma, if you ask me… I think this involves you, more than it does Will."

"It's just so hard for me to trust her… or anyone, right now. How do I know I'm not about to get hurt again? First Will, and now his wife? This is messy business…" Emma's breath was shuddery, her shoulders shaking, along with it.

"You can't know that, Emma. Matters of the heart are always risky. You just have to decide which ones are worth it," Kim said.

"But is this one? It's Terri…" Emma's voice grew soft, just at the feel of the woman's name leaving her lips.

"Only you can know that, Emma. And I think you already do."

* * *

Emma had to go all the way back to the school and into Terri's file, once again, to find her emergency contact information. Surprisingly, she remembered Terri mentioning that she lived with her sister, now, the night they went out. It had been a long day, already, but Emma knew this was something that could not wait another day. She did not have much courage when it came to Terri, as it was. Even more so, it wasn't like she had the hand of Sue Sylvester urging her forward, like she had, when it came to Will. It was best that she did this, coming off of her therapy session with Kim.

Her hands shook, as she gripped the steering wheel of her car. Of course, Emma was a very nervous person and had encountered many moments like these, but this one had to be one of the most terrifying. Especially because, this time, she had no plan, regarding what she was going to say.

Obviously, she would apologize. Her snapping at Terri had been in self-defense; a way of closing herself off and pushing Terri away, so that she didn't get hurt. But there was more to it than that. She knew how she felt about Terri, now, but would she be able to tell the woman that? And if so, would she ever really be able to trust Terri?

Pulling into the driveway of Terri's current residence, Emma realized that the most important thing, right now, was that she trusted herself. Stepping out of her car, she brushed off her skirt, straightening it out a bit. She hadn't even given herself a chance to change out of her work clothes and her makeup had not been touched up in hours. But standing there, feeling full of hesitance, Emma knew that if she had given herself any spare time, she would have backed out. And it was extremely important to her that she didn't. Not this time.

Emma walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Standing on the porch, she could already hear what sounded like maybe five or six kids, inside.

'_Not the most comforting noise…'_

But what was more discomforting, was the angry looking blonde woman, who had opened the door and was now staring her down. Emma could only assume she was Terri's sister.

"We don't buy girl scout cookies, we don't buy Avon, and we don't support churches. Now, what do you—? Hey, wait a minute… You must be…"

"Um, I'm Emma Pillsbury. I'm—"

"Shouldn't you be off screwing somebody's husband, or something?" Kendra said, crossing her arms.

"Clearly, that's why I'm here," Emma said, quickly. Wit had been how she always dealt with Sue, making remarks about her and Will, that made her feel uncomfortable.

Kendra's eyelids shrunk to slits, forming a glare. "Yeah, well, you can have him…" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm here to see Terri," Emma said.

"Why would she want to see you?" Kendra spat.

"Because—Well, she probably doesn't. But she needs to."

"I'll let her decide that," Kendra said, then turning her head back inside. "TERRI! That ginger freak is at our house!"

Terri appeared in the doorway—rather quickly, Emma noted.

"Emma?" Terri said. Her voice and the look in her eyes were surprisingly soft. That quickly changed, as Terri shook her head and crossed her arms, much like her sister. "What are you doing here?"

"Um… Can we—?" Emma's voice caught in her throat, as soon as she tried to speak to Terri.

"Just… come inside," Terri said, with a sigh.

Emma attempted to squeeze past Kendra and weave her way through, surprising only three kids, in order to keep up with Terri.

Terri made her way through the hallway, to her bedroom, not even bothering to see if Emma was still behind her. Terri wondered why exactly Emma was here. If she had gotten back together with Will, Emma was not the type to shove things in people's faces. And it wasn't like their friendship had lasted, so she wouldn't be coming to her for advice. Maybe she was here to apologize. It seemed like the only thing that made sense.

Even though it was Emma Pillsbury, it still seemed cruel, to Terri, that she was here. The past two weeks had been hell. Terri knew it had been a bad idea, getting involved with Emma, after everything they had been through, with Will. But the only thing that had made her hate Emma before was Will, and she couldn't help but think that she was losing to him, again. Even worse, everything Emma had said to her had been a constant reminder that she would probably never be a good enough person for anyone.

Sitting on her bed, towards the headboard, Terri watched Emma walk in, tentatively, standing at its foot. Her hands were clasped nervously and there was absolutely not color in her face.

"I, um, came to apologize," Emma said, meekly.

"For?" Terri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, those things I said to you on the phone… It was uncalled for. And I'm so sorry."

"We've said hurtful things to each other in the past, Emma," Terri said, trying to keep her voice flat. "So if that's all you came for…"

"But the past was different, Terri!" Emma stammered. "Back then, we were fighting against each other, for the same thing. But now… Now, we're fighting for ourselves. And… And each other. Still, for the same thing, I-I think… Well, I hope."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Terri snapped. She knew what she wanted; she always did. But she was tired of people emotionally backing out on her.

"Well, I think we were scared—"

"I'm not scared of anything. I tried, Emma! But you… You're just so terrified at the idea of feeling something good, towards me!" Terri declared, her voice shaky.

"Because, I've never felt this way about anybody, before!" Emma said, her voice growing higher in bit, but not volume.

"Oh, that's bullshit, Emma!" Terri shouted. "You were perfectly fine falling all over my husband!"

"But that was infatuation! Obsession, even!" Emma said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I didn't… couldn't possibly feel for him, what I feel for you."

"And that was easier, right? He deserves all the affection coming his way. Because Will's the good guy. You could throw your whole life away on a married man, who cheated on you! But you're terrified of liking me! Everyone is always terrified of actually liking me!" Terri's voice caught on a sob. She pulled her knees up, resting her arms and her forehead on top of them, no longer even caring that Emma was there to see her.

Emma quietly and slowly made her way over to the bed, sitting beside Terri. "I mean it… I'm really sorry," Emma said, almost in a whisper.

"Why am I such a bad person?" Terri cried, still into her self-embrace. "No one ever wants to let me in. They're afraid to show me compassion. No one thinks I have any…"

Emma stroked Terri's low ponytail, urging her to lift her head. As much as it did, in fact, scare her, she looked into Terri's eyes, as she spoke. "You are the only person who has showed me any real compassion, in a long time. I'm the one who doesn't deserve it."

"Yes, you do," Terri said, through a sniffle. "I always thought so, even when I was awful to you."

"You had a reason to be awful to me. And now, you really do. You're right, I was scared. I guess I wasn't used to my feelings being returned, so mutually."

"Me neither," Terri added.

"And when I get scared, I run," Emma said.

"I fight," Terri responded.

Emma drew in a deep breath. Terri had been fighting so much, for her feelings, lately. It was Emma's turn.

"I like you, Terri."

"I like you, Emma."

Emma's heart was nearly pounding out of her chest, but she managed a smile. Both girls did, as their eyes met and they shared an uneasy laugh.

"Well, you already showed me that. You did kiss me…" Emma said, blushing.

"Okay. Well?" Terri gazed up at Emma.

"Um, well, what?" Emma asked, nervously.

"Aren't you going to show me that you like me, too?"

Emma's hand brushed the side of Terri's face, drawing them closer, and as their lips connected, she did just that.


	6. Chapter 6

Compared to the day before, coming into work, now, was like a difference of night and day. For the past two weeks, Emma had felt nothing but emptiness, even while trying to lend good advice to her students. The only task she could focus on had been avoiding Will. Even that had proved difficult, once she lost the motivation to stand up to him.

Today, none of that mattered. Because last night, she got back the one thing her heart desired most. And it was not Will Schuester.

As shocking as it may have seemed, Emma's life suddenly made sense, with Terri in it. Her outlook was much clearer; finally realistic. Of course, Terri was by no means a safe choice. With Will, it had been easier. She had been so clouded by her infatuation, that all of her feelings were based off of embellishments in her head. Terri actually made her feel something.

It was a risk, allowing herself to feel something so genuine for someone. That was why Emma had pushed Terri away, at first. Emma had always been afraid of opening her heart to people. Naturally, she had fallen for Will, when he was so unattainable. It was when everything started becoming a reality, that the heartbreak set in.

This time, it was worth the risk. It would be hard, caring about someone without guards or the defense mechanism. But without those barriers, Emma knew that what she had with Terri was real and she knew, after last night, that it was something she liked having.

Today, Emma had curled her hair more than usual, even allowing her long bangs to fall onto her face some, instead of flipping them back. She wore her make up a little heavier; her clothes a little brighter. She even left out the cardigan she usually wore over her green, cap-sleeved dress, embracing the spring weather and her natural warmth. Emma felt and looked as if nothing could bring her down.

Of course, right on time, Will Schuester managed to bump into her, as she was making her way out of the staff lounge. It wasn't enough to actually knock her down, but she did have a moment of trouble, catching her balance and holding onto the contents of her lunch.

"Oh, sorry, Will!" she exclaimed, even though it wasn't her fault. She just was in no mood, today, to give him the usual cold shoulder. After all, today was the first day she had felt alive, since she found out from Sue that Will, in essence, cheated on her.

"That's… okay," Will said, pausing momentarily. "Emma, wow. You look great today."

"Oh, thank you!" Emma said. She couldn't deny, to herself, that she was positively glowing.

"Wow, and to think that just yesterday, I was so worried about you. Even Sue was coming up with all sorts of—. Well, anyway, you seem to be in good spirits, today, and that's all that really matters," Will said, giving her a soft smile.

"Yeah, well!" Emma said, returning the smile, without explaining any further. But with him standing there, she was no longer caught up in the bad air that had been between them, lately. She had everything that she needed to move on and there was no sense in holding a grudge, at this point. He knew she was no longer going to tolerate his behavior, and that should have been enough to clear the air. "Um, would you like to maybe eat lunch together, Will?"

His eyes would have lit up with hope, had he not been glancing behind her.

"Terri?" Will stammered.

"Terri!" Emma exclaimed, turning around and smiling at the woman.

"Hi!" Terri responded, then glancing past Emma. "Will…" she said, flatly, nodding her head.

Emma turned back around. "Oh, Will, I'm so sorry. I forgot that Terri was stopping by, to talk something over. We'll have to do lunch another time."

"Right…" Will said, staring at them with an expression of disbelief.

Emma brushed off the awkward moment as Terri linked their arms and directed them to her office.

"We have something to talk about, huh?" Terri asked, grinning.

"Well, of course I want to talk to you! I haven't seen you in over twelve hours," Emma said. By this point, she was smiling like a school girl, as they reached her office.

Terri's smile was beginning to fade, however. "You were having lunch with Will?"

"Oh, yeah, we just happened to bump into each other," Emma said, swatting her hand. "Now that I have you, it suddenly seems so much easier to be around him. Because nothing he does is ever going to matter again."

Terri smiled, eyes fluttering downwards. She could not recall anyone ever saying something so good to her. She remembered a time when Emma had been Will's distraction from the heartbreak she had supposedly caused him. Of course, it felt nice, returning the favor and distracting Emma from Will… But the only thing that really mattered to her was the smile on Emma's face—well, and the fact that she was the one putting it there.

Emma sat against the edge of her desk and Terri stood close, occasionally allowing her legs to lean into Emma's.

"Work was even worse than usual, when I had to be away from you, all day," Terri pouted, giving her explanation to Emma, before the girl had to ask why she had showed up so suddenly.

Emma blushed. "I probably would have been miserable, too, but… I'm just so happy about all of this," she said, giggling a bit at the end.

"Me too, Em." Terri smiled.

"Well, while you're here, do you wanna split my lunch… Oh. Wait. We can't do that," Emma said, her mouth forming a frown.

"What?" Terri asked, confused.

"I brought peanut butter and jelly, and you're—"

"Allergic. Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Well, Will and I went on a field trip with the glee club at the beginning of the year and I split my sandwich with him and he mentioned that you were allergic…" Emma said, meekly.

"Fucker!" Terri said, no longer speaking at Emma. "Peanut allergies are _deathly_. If he ever so much as kissed me… What if he still had some in his mouth? He is so… ARGH!"

Emma was taken aback, but just as equally embarrassed. In that moment, she had thought that Will was so noble and self-sacrificing for not keeping peanut butter in the house. Had her infatuation really been so vain?

Emma had zoned out, while Terri lost herself in the rant, and didn't even notice the other woman's sudden change in demeanor.

"Anyway, it was really sweet of you to remember that, actually. But it's alright, you enjoy your lunch." Terri said.

"No, really, it's okay!" Emma said, moving to the other side of her desk and pulling out some of the contents of her lunch bag. "I have these grapes… and two chocolate cupcakes!"

Sitting in her seat, Emma gestured for Terri to sit across from her. She placed the grapes on the desk, between them. She didn't even bother separating them, but allowed Terri to take them from the container, instead.

They sat and talked, picking at the grapes that they polished off rather quickly, then moved on to the cupcakes that they both secretly found to be adorable.

"So, work is awful?" Emma asked, through a mouthful of frosting.

"Yes…" Terri replied, with a sigh. "And I really need a promotion. I can hardly keep up with my Pottery Barn collection, let alone think about moving out of Kendra's."

"You have a Pottery Barn collection?" Emma said, focusing on getting the paper off of her cupcake, without getting any in her nails.

"Yeah. Will seemed to think it was frivolous, but I don't know, I just like it." Terri shrugged.

"Pottery Barn is nice. I like nice things, too," Emma said.

"You're nice." Terri smiled, staring at Emma, whose eyes were still on her cupcake. She did glance up at that comment, though.

They started wrapping up, as both their breaks were about to end. Emma even saved the tidying of her desk for after Terri left, wanting to spend the last few minutes together. They both stood up again, and Emma moved back around to the other side of her desk.

"I'm glad you came," she told Terri.

"Me too," Terri said.

"I'll call you later?" It came across sounding like a question, but Emma knew it didn't need to be.

"Please," Terri answered, softly.

They just stood there for a moment, frozen and speechless; eyes gazing into one another's. Terri started to lean in, slowly, and Emma felt her eyes drooping and her head grow fuzzy, at the close proximity of their faces. At the last minute, however, she pulled herself away.

"Wh-what is it?" Terri asked, still dizzy herself.

"I… It's just… The bell is about to ring… The kids will be out soon and… Well, my office is nothing but glass… I just—"

"I'm sure you were fine kissing Will in here." Terri more sighed, than snapped.

"Terri…"

"No, I'm sorry, that was unnecessary. I understand." Terri said, shaking her head. She squeezed Emma's shoulder and leaned in, her nose brushing the other girl's ear, as she spoke. "But you understand that I expect that kiss, later."

Emma shuddered, as Terri pulled away. She was tempted to pull her back in and kiss her fiercely, but before she had a chance to move, the bell rang, startling her out of her current bliss.

"I'll see you later, Emma," Terri said, waving behind her and flashing a smile, as she made her way out of the office.

"Yeah… later," Emma said, finally releasing a breath and watching her go.

* * *

If waiting to see Emma at lunch had made the morning go by slowly, having to work all afternoon, after seeing her, was even worse.

To most people, Terri came across as heartless. They only saw her harsh exterior and manipulative and controlling ways. What they did not realize, was that everything Terri did was for the commitment to her relationships, which she threw herself into. Her relationship with Will had consumed her life for the past fifteen years. It was good for her, this time she was taking to find herself, but Terri knew for sure that she was better off in a relationship.

She was best in a relationship with Emma. Being with someone as sweet as Emma Pillsbury, Terri had no choice but to have the best in her brought out. That was the effect Emma had on people, and now, mostly on her.

Now that she was in the stock room, closing up, Terri was no longer quite as excited to be finished working. Her day had been great, as she had gotten to see Emma, earlier. But having to see Will twice? That was not so great. She had unexpectedly seen him with Emma, at lunch, and now, they had another meeting with the attorney. The meetings were torture, but they did get her one step closer to where she finally, actually wanted to be.

She put a few things away, in her locker, and started checking the safes. That was when she heard the familiar clacking of heels, against the cold tile floor.

"Emma? What are you doing here?" she asked, glancing towards Emma, who had already made it across the room.

"It's later. How about that kiss?"

A sigh had only half escaped Terri's mouth, when Emma pushed her against the wall, kissing her feverously. Emma's lips crashed against her own, tongue darting out and begging for entrance. Terri gave in, parting her mouth. Emma's tongue traced along her bottom lip before entering her mouth and swirling around her own.

With her back pressed against the wall, Emma pressed harder against her body. Emma closed Terri's thigh between her two legs, grinding into her, slightly. Terri moaned, rolling her head back. She took the brief parting of their lips to reconsider. Ever so reluctantly, she pulled away.

"No," she said firmly, but still panting. "This is… still my workplace… And if I can't even kiss you goodbye at work… there is no way in hell you are kissing me like _that_, here."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're right…" Emma said, breathily. "So, um, should we… Would you like to, um…"

"Don't be sorry. But I actually have somewhere to be," Terri said, cutting Emma off from what she was obviously so uncomfortable asking. She knew she couldn't skip another meeting with Will, even if it was to get into bed with Emma.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry for dropping by so unexpectedly," Emma said, quickly.

"Emma," Terri said, grabbing the girl's hands. "Stop apologizing. I love seeing this much of you. And I will see you again, soon. I just have to go take care of something right now, okay?"

"Okay," Emma said, giving a small smile.

Terri leaned in and kissed her softly, before saying goodbye. _'That much couldn't hurt,' _she figured. She let Emma leave, so she could finish closing up, knowing that she would be up late on the phone with her, that night.

Emma made her way into her SUV, still shaking. What was that? What on earth had gotten into her? Even with Will, Emma had never been the type to be so consumed with desire, that she couldn't even control her actions. But ever since Terri had leaned in to whisper in her ear at lunch, all Emma could think about was how badly she wanted her girlfriend. It was a feeling unlike any other, that only Terri could give her.

The thought had not previously occurred to her, but now, Emma couldn't help but wonder: Would she be giving her virginity to Terri Schuester?

* * *

Over the next couple days, they had continued in the same fashion. They would visit each other at work, or sometimes spend some time together after, if Terri got off early enough. But now that it was Friday, they finally had legitimate plans.

It was all Emma could think about, as she started packing up her briefcase. Now that it was the weekend, they could see each other as often as they wanted, for as long as they wanted. Terri did have a couple shifts to pick up, but Emma would make do. Currently, all she could focus on was her date, later that night.

She lost that focus, as soon as the beautiful blonde walked into her office, right then.

"Terri! What's going on? I thought you were picking me up for dinner at 6:00?" Emma didn't know whether she should be excited or worried.

"I know. I am. But I had some news that just couldn't wait." Terri glanced around, to see that the halls were empty—final period hadn't ended yet—and grabbed Emma's hands, lacing their fingers together. She could see Emma's face tighten with anticipation and decided to just come out with it. "I signed the papers this afternoon. The divorce is official." She waited, gauging Emma's reaction.

"Wait, really?" Emma exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Terri said, nodding, and smiling widely.

"Terri, that is great news!" Emma pulled her in, placing her lips firmly against Terri's. Just then, the bell rang, but Emma didn't pull away. Instead, she let her lips linger, until she finally heard the loud chatter of the students, filling the hallway around them.

"Emma, we're in your office… at work," Terri said, as she pulled back.

"I know," Emma said, nodding with assurance. "I don't care. You make me so happy, Terri. The world might as well know."

"Well, we'll let them know tonight, especially now that we're going out with something to celebrate." Terri grinned, pulling Emma's hand up to her lips and placing a quick kiss on it.

"Of course!" Emma beamed.

"Alright, you go home and relax and get ready, and I'll be at your condo in a few hours." Terri made her way to the door before adding, "I already can't wait."

The entire time she finished packing up and made her way out of the school building, Emma could not wipe the grin off of her face. At this point, if anyone asked what it was about, Emma imagined she would tell them exactly what, or who, it was for.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, update! I just really wanted to write a little cutesy chapter, to start off their relationship. ****I hope you guys enjoyed something a little lighter! Aren't these two just so cute? (: ****This one sets up for a pretty hefty one, next, though.**

**I'm making a playlist to go along with the story! I can't post it all, because that would get spoilery. But I'm thinking about posting songs as the story progresses. Let me know what you think.**

**As always, thank you guys for the support! I enjoy hearing from each and every one of you. Please let me know what you think!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

"I am absolutely positive of what I saw!"

It was the last rehearsal of the week. The entire glee club was sitting on the choir risers, except for Rachel, who was standing in front of them, with her hands on her hips, speaking intensely.

"I obviously know what Miss Pillsbury looks like. Not to mention, this took place in her office. And I've seen Mrs. Schuester both inside and outside of school, so I'm pretty sure I'd recognize her, too," Rachel insisted.

"Okay, well that's who you saw, but are you sure you saw what you saw?" Quinn asked, raising her eyebrows. After all the young girl had been through with Terri, it was a hard scenario to believe.

"I'm absolutely certain! There was no missing it. It wasn't just some little peck that could have actually been on the cheek. Trust me."

"Damn, I wish I could have been there for that," Puck sighed.

"Me too…" Brittany mumbled, earning an elbow to the side, from Santana.

"You guys, this is serious!" Rachel shouted. "I mean, do we tell Mr. Schuester?"

"Of course we have to tell him!" Finn added, quickly. "Mr. Schue deserves to know and we should help him out. We all know the way he looks at Miss Pillsbury and his wife is kinda… nuts."

No one seemed to protest his argument, so Rachel came to a conclusion. "Alright, then. It's settled. I'll break the news to him, because I'm good at taking a subtle approach to these kinds of things." A few people groaned, apathetically.

"Wow, Miss Pillsbury, huh?" Mercedes said, shaking her head. "I cannot believe I didn't catch the vibes!"

Kurt rolled his eyes, right as Will walked in.

"Alright, guys! We've got a lot of work to do today, so let's get…" He paused. "What is it?" Everyone in the room wore a look of concern, anticipation, or both. Not only that, but they had all gotten completely silent, the moment he walked in, which though nice, was certainly not characteristic of his glee club.

Now, Rachel was inching towards him, her face strained. "Mr. Schuester?" she said, meekly. "There's something I, and the rest of the glee club, need to tell you. We're doing this because we care about you and, well, we see the way you look at Miss Pillsbury, all the time."

Will sighed. He knew his pining after Emma had grown increasingly obvious, lately. And even though it took place at the school, he really did not want it interfering with his job-especially when it involved his students. "Rachel, I really appreciate the concern, but my relationship with Miss Pillsbury shouldn't concern you guys."

He watched Rachel glance nervously at her teammates. She definitely had something more to say. "Well, that's the thing…" she started. "We're not trying to get involved in your personal life, but if we know something that you don't, well, we think you deserve to be informed."

"What is it…?" Will asked, hesitantly. What could Rachel know about Emma, that he didn't? She had been distant, lately, but she was never dishonest.

"We think she might be in a relationship… with someone else. I saw her kissing someone." Rachel paused. "Your… your ex-wife."

Will burrowed his eyebrows, looking at her, momentarily, with confusion. "Wh-what?"

Rachel looked full of pity and the rest of the glee club remained completely still and silent, as Will moved to the piano bench. He sat down, resting his head in his hands. He could not believe Sue had been right. _'But how could this have happened…?'_ Will felt about two feet tall, but he couldn't do this here-not in front of his students.

Running his hands through his hair, he stood up, with a sigh. Everyone was already looking entirely uncomfortable, so he tried to act as casual as possible. "You know what, on second thought, why don't I give you guys an early start to your weekend? We can catch up next week."

Most of them filed out, as quickly as possible. Will felt bad, neglecting his role as leader, but he would not have properly fulfilled the job, after that news. He was already gathering his things, as well, but Rachel had stayed back.

"Mr. Schue?"

"Rachel, if you have any more bad news, I'm gonna ask that you save it for another day," he said, half-joking. But in all honesty, Rachel was often the bearer of bad news and there was no way he could handle anything worse that what he had just found out.

"No, that was it…" she sad, remorsefully. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm really sorry. I know how much you care about Miss P. And if you need anything, I'm here."

Will forced a smile. He knew Rachel's heart was always in the right place. "Thank you, Rachel. I really appreciate that. But it's probably best if I don't get you involved in this one."

"I don't have a crush on you, anymore, if that's what you're worried about," Rachel said, plainly.

"No, no. I understand. Just trust me, you don't want to get involved in this one," he told her. He knew she wouldn't believe that, but the clear look of pain on his face allowed for her to let it go.

They said their farewells, and Will quickly locked up and left the choir room. He needed to make sure Emma was still there, so he could talk to her.

When he reached her hallway, he saw Emma still in her office, packing up her things. He was thankful to have caught her, but it actually surprised him that she was already heading home for the weekend. Most days, she was there through half or all of glee rehearsal, and he had called it off, for the day.

"Emma!" he called out, right as he made his way through her door.

"Yes, Will?" she said, hardly looking up from the things on her desk. Ever since their run-in on Monday, things had been more relaxed between them, even though the situation was not improving.

Now, Will feared he knew the cause of that. When he found out, he had immediately wanted to confront her. But standing in front of the woman he had been falling in love with, knowing she had some sort of involvement with the woman he used to be in love with, Will wasn't sure he wanted to hear anything Emma had to say.

But he needed to know. "Is it true?"

"Is… is wh-what true?" Emma stuttered. She looked up, then.

"You're… with her?" Will could hardly stand to say Terri's name in every day conversation, let alone this context.

Emma sighed, her facial expression dropping, a bit. "Will, listen, I'm sorry… How did you—?"

"She's using you," he said, cutting her off. He didn't need her pity or her explanation. He just wanted to make things right again.

"Excuse me?"

"She knows how I feel about you, Em. She's doing this on purpose. I can't even believe she'd sink this low, though…" How had Emma, of all people, gotten herself into this kind of mess? He wished she had never found out about Shelby or April. Maybe then, none of this would be happening.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't about you. Terri and I have started a very good, healthy relationship," Emma said.

"I know her, Emma. She's nothing but manipulative. She might make you feel good, but it's all a game to her." Will had already been a pawn in Terri's game. Now, it looked as if she just wanted to claim as many pieces as she could.

"Will, whatever issues I had with Terri, I've worked out. I would suggest that you think about doing the same. But Terri is my girlfriend and I care about her." Emma sounded more sure of herself than he had ever heard before.

"I'm the one who cares about your feelings, Emma!"

"We can talk about us, later! But Terri and I have nothing to do with you."

"You already watched her hurt me!" Will shouted, but quickly brought his voice down. "And I'll be here, Emma, when she does the same to you."

With that, Will left. But they both knew he wasn't gone.

* * *

Emma was so cutesy, compared to Terri. The girl screamed innocence, while Terri just, well… screamed.

Emma's sundress was black, but covered in bright florals, and was loose and flowed, to her knees. Terri, on the other hand, had decided to wear black skinny jeans, tucked into gray, high-heeled boots, and a dark green tank top with an elastic bottom that had studs around the edges. Emma always wore skirts or dresses and Terri never did. And Emma's clothes were all loose-fitting, while Terri's clung to her every curve.

But Terri couldn't help but notice that the crossover front to Emma's dress was much more revealing than anything she typically wore. Despite her image, Terri saw all the not-so-innocent sides to Emma. She saw the side that had gone after a married man, with a "pregnant" wife. Then, she had also seen the side that was now dating that man's ex-wife.

None of that mattered anymore, though, because the best side Terri saw was the one that had her pushed against a wall, earlier in the week. While she knew it wasn't all an act, part of Terri's attraction to Emma was getting beneath the surface, and uncovering all the fires that burned deep within her.

Then again, another part of her attraction had something to do with that dress…

The Emma Pillsbury, sitting across from her in a booth at Breadsticks, was being her typical, coy self. But as Terri paid closer attention, she realized that Emma was more quiet than she had ever been around her.

"What's wrong?" Terri asked, watching the other girl slowly break up a breadstick, before putting a piece in her mouth.

"Um, nothing…" Emma said, unconvincingly. All Terri had to do was flash her an expression that said she knew otherwise, and Emma immediately continued. "He knows."

"What?"

Emma drew in a breath and released a sigh. "Will found out about us."

"Today?"

"Yes. He wouldn't tell me how, but—"

"Oh, thank god he found out today! Can you believe how lucky that is?" Terri exclaimed, cutting off a very stunned-looking Emma.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Well, all this time I was trying to like, sue him, or whatever, for fooling around with you, while we were still together. Can you imagine what he would have done, if he had found out you and I started dating before the divorce was finished?" Terri couldn't help but laugh to herself, a bit, at imagining the scenario, but she was relieved.

"Thanks a lot," Emma said, sternly. She glared, looking quite defensive.

"Oh, relax, Emma. It was mostly to get back at Will. And who cares if he knows? Maybe now he'll leave you alone and I'll have you all to myself," Terri declared.

"You already do," Emma added, rather quickly.

"Besides, I never have to see him again. You're the one who's stuck at work with him, every day," Terri said, plastering a smug grin on her face. Emma glared, less angrily, this time. Terri couldn't even manage to stifle her giggling.

Emma cracked a smile, too, but released a sigh along with it. "How do you do it, Ter?"

"Do what? I'm great at plenty of things…"

Emma rolled her eyes and laughed, a little, before going back to serious. "I mean, I try to not let this stuff get to me, but I can't do it." She shook her head, clearly frustrated.

Why did Will still bother Emma so much? She was supposed to be past that. They were both done with him. It frustrated Terri, but she figured Emma was just overanalyzing things, like always.

"It's easy." Terri shrugged. "I just choose not to care." She almost believed herself, for a minute, because that was what she had been pretending to do, her entire life.

By the time they finished dessert, Emma had a glass of wine in her and a smile on her face. Terri was relieved to find that things were back to normal. Today had been a good day for her; for them, after all.

Now that she and Emma were as happy as they had been all week, Terri wasn't ready to stop celebrating with her new girlfriend, just yet. "You wanna go to Roxy's for a bit?" she asked Emma.

"Yeah, sure," Emma said, smiling, as they paid the bill and gathered their things, to leave.

Even though the last time they went to the bar had led to a rough patch between her and Emma, Terri was fond of the memories they had there. That was the night that Emma had completely moved on from Will. And now that Terri was officially divorced, it only seemed appropriate that they went there.

During the entire car ride, Emma complained that she was underdressed for the bar. But Terri insisted that she looked beautiful and that it didn't matter what she wore there. Of course, that wasn't entirely true. The last outfit Emma attempted to wear out had been atrocious and Terri simply could not have let her go through with it. Tonight, though, she looked good and Terri was not going to stop so she could change. Besides, it wasn't like Emma would have anything more "bar-appropriate," anyway.

Inside, they sat at a table, this time. A bartender quickly approached them.

"We'll have two martinis—one vodka, one regular," Terri informed her, speaking for the both of them.

"You remembered my drink!" Emma smiled.

"I did," Terri confirmed. Terri made a lot of mental notes, about Emma. Emma was quite a quirky individual. While Terri was not exactly what you would call quirky, she was far from an average. Sharing this trait had made Terri want to learn all she could about the other girl—even if it was something as simple as a drink order or the fact of eating strawberry ice cream with pie, instead of vanilla.

"I remember it, too… all too well," Emma sighed.

Terri giggled, as they grabbed their long-stemmed glasses from the tray. Reaching across the table, she placed her hand on top of Emma's.

"Emma, I'm really happy everything worked out this way…" She looked down, actually blushing a bit. Terri was not one to express her emotions, often, even if she did posses a lot of them. But she had lost Will, by not showing how much she did truly care about him, enough. That was a mistake she didn't want to make again.

"Me too," Emma said, nodding. "It really was all worth it. Everything. Even the puking…" They both laughed.

"I was thinking more along the lines of… You know… Well—"

"I know." Emma cut her off, adjusting her hand to lace her fingers with Terri. "And you're to thank. You got me through all of this. And to a much, much better place…"

"Well, you didn't do too bad, yourself," Terri said, softly.

They sat like that, for a moment. Softly rubbing each other's fingertips and sipping their drinks in silence. Occasionally, their eyes would lock, and both of them knew that words were no longer necessary.

Emma finally broke the silence. "You know, we should do karaoke again! Yeah. But… you should sing with me, this time!"

Terri laughed, a little, shaking her head. "Oh, no… Honey, I'm not much of a singer. You go ahead! I'll cheer you on."

"I bet your voice is great! Come on, please, please, please!" Emma whined, with that pretty little pout that won most people over in a heartbeat. It didn't work so much on Terri, though she was not entirely immune…

"I don't know, Emma…" Terri was hesitant. Truthfully, she knew she had a pretty good voice. But that was easily overshadowed by Will—he was the star. That held Terri back, like it had done in many other aspects of her life.

"Come on, we'll sing a really cheesy duet. Besides, everyone will be too drunk to notice… It'll be so fun!"

How could Terri say no? A few months ago, Emma never would have even set foot in a bar. She had made so much progress, and knowing that she had helped made it impossible for Terri to refuse her. "Alright, alright…"

Emma pulled Terri by the arm, dragging her, reluctantly, onto the stage. She flipped through the songbook, for a moment, before finally pointing at a selection. "How about that one?"

"Okay… But you sing the girl part. You're better at the high notes," Terri told Emma, nervously grabbing a microphone.

"Sounds good!" Emma winked, then jabbed Terri in the arm, urging her to look at screen.

"_Don't go breaking my heart," _Terri sang the first line, as confidently as she could. She sounded much better than she had expected.

"_I couldn't if I tried," _Emma smiled, her eyes bright, and mooning at Terri.

Terri had to roll her eyes a couple of times, but she couldn't help smiling, too. _'The things I do for this woman…'_

"_Nobody knows it…"_

Emma said that everyone would be too drunk to notice them, but Terri hoped that was not the case. Earlier, Emma had also said that she wanted the world to know about them. At the end of the song, Terri made sure of that fact. She grabbed Emma by the arm, pulling her close, and kissed the prettiest girl in the bar, right on the stage.

They were too oblivious to notice any reactions, as they walked off the stage, hand in hand.

"You are a beautiful singer… and a beautiful girl," Emma whispered in Terri's ear, kissing her firmly on the cheek.

"Thank you…" Terri said, softly, shuddering at the sound of Emma's low voice in her ear. "Now, are you ready to get out of here?"

"Mhm. My place?"

Terri nodded.

They gathered their things and paid the tab, practically running out of the door.

* * *

Emma had purposely suggested going back to her condo. She was already grateful for the privacy, as she struggled to both unlock her door and get inside and keep her lips locked with Terri's.

They stumbled inside, slamming the door behind them and flicking on whatever lights their hands could reach. Their lips fought to stay connected, reaching out for continuous pecks, every time there was a brief separation. Emma walked backwards, shifting on her heels, pulling Terri with her, to the bedroom.

As soon as they got there, though, Terri immediately seized control, pushing Emma onto her bed, and joining her there, only a second later. Terri came at her, powerfully, but Emma wouldn't let it be anything but mutual. As soon as their lips met again, Emma wrapped her arms around the back of Terri's neck, running her fingertips through the girl's long, blonde hair.

Terri's upper half was resting on Emma's, pinning her to the bed. But Emma continued struggling to lift her head, thrusting her tongue further and more fiercely into Terri's mouth. But Terri pulled away and placed a trail of kissed down her lawline, stopping to suck on her pulse point.

Deciding she liked this just as much, Emma let out a moan, causing Terri to work harder at her neck. "Mmm, Terri…" Emma gasped. Her eyes fluttered shut, as Terri moved back up, and their lips met again. The pace was slower than before, but that much more passion-filled.

Emma's dress had been pushed up to her waist, leaving her much more exposed than she had ever been. But with Terri, she felt comfortable. And even more so, she was feeling satisfied. Her entire body was flush with her and her head was growing fuzzy, given Terri's close proximity. She clenched her fists into the sheets below her, wanting anything but for it to stop. But as Terri's hand slid up her side, moving toward her breast, Emma shifted uncomfortably, pushing Terri's hand back down. Terri must have thought she was only readjusting, but it happened again, causing Emma to writhe, as subtlety as she could manage—which was not much—once more.

It was not hesitance that Emma was feeling, so much as her mind informing her of her limits. Ready or not, Emma had never before approached this situation, and it was not something she wanted to do hastily.

Terri sighed, rolling onto her back. "Look, I know Will was selfish in bed, but I would like to actually touch my girlfriend."

Emma clamped her eyes shut, even though Terri was staring at the ceiling. She tried to regain a steady breath, but found it going from erratic, to lost. She had to say something, but she could tell where the conversation was going, and it was one she had been dreading. "I-I wouldn't know…"

Terri propped herself up on her elbows, looking over at Emma with burrowed eyebrows and an ever-so-slightly dropped jaw. "What are you talking about…?"

Emma forced herself to look up at Terri. "I mean, I never… you know, did the nasty… with Will," Emma said, immediately regretting adding on the last bit. She knew what was coming and she would have to come out with it, tonight.

"Wow," Terri said, breathily, looking towards the wall, before turning back to Emma. "Or with Ken…"

Emma felt tears sting her eyes, but she pushed them back. She wasn't upset and she didn't need to cry. But her entire body was shaking with nerves. It was never an easy conversation to have, as it hadn't been with Will, but telling someone like Terri absolutely terrified her. "…Or anyone," she finished, finally. Terri grabbed her hand. "I just think I need that one right person, in order to get to a point of intimacy."

"Right…" Terri said, nodding her head in consideration. "But you do want to?" she asked.

"Yes, I would like to… with you," Emma said, meekly. At dinner, Terri had worried her, slightly, talking about all her motives throughout the divorce, making herself sound selfish. But Emma knew not to let Will get in her head, anymore. She trusted Terri completely, and she had never felt this way about anyone before, despite whatever type of person Terri might have been.

"Okay." Terri's simple statement shocked Emma out of her complex thoughts.

"Wait, what?" She shook her head in bewilderment. "You're not mad?"

"Nah," Terri said. "Will was a virgin when I started dating him, too."

Emma looked down. _'Will wasn't a pathetic, thirty year old germaphobe…'_

"But this… this is even better," Terri added, grinning.

It lifted Emma's spirits, considerably. She wasn't sure if it was on account of her being thirty, or her being a girl, or simply the fact that they had something really great together. Emma smiled at the idea that it might be a combination of the three.

"Will you stay over?" she asked.

"Of course," Terri said, nuzzling her face into Emma's shoulder. "It's been a long day. But can I borrow some pajamas?"

"Sure," Emma said, getting up. "I should change to."

Standing in front of the drawer, Emma stared at the clothes, experiencing a new kind of embarrassment. Surely, nothing she owned would suit a woman like Terri.

"Terri…" she called behind her, without looking back. "What kind of pajamas do you prefer?" She hoped that she could find something remotely similar.

"Doesn't matter. Just a long t-shirt is fine, really."

After a moment of thought, Emma realized she might be able to salvage the situation, after all. She crouched down, opening her bottom drawer, and pulled out two gray, William McKinley Staff t-shirts. Principal Figgins had saved money by ordering all men's larges, so Emma rarely wore them. But they had certainly come in handy, tonight. Not wanting to wear a pair of her own pajamas, Emma grabbed one for herself, as she had both 2008 and 2009 shirts.

After tossing a shirt to Terri, they both changed. Surprisingly, Emma felt no need to leave the room. She watched Terri start putting the shirt on, somehow getting it stuck on her head and in her arms.

"Okay, knock it off. I can feel you staring," Terri said, her words muffled.

Emma laughed. "Well, you do look quite ridiculous… And ridiculously hot." She leaned down to kiss Terri's flat stomach, before helping to pull the shirt over her head.

Terri rolled her eyes, before grabbing either side of Emma's face and kissing her on the lips. "Goodnight, Emma," she said, turning away and laying down.

"Goodnight, Terri," Emma answered, slipping her arm about the other girl's waist.

Their bodies pushed up against one another's, fitting together perfectly. Emma leaned her head against the back of Terri's, taking in the feel of the most incredible girl she had ever met. As she drifted off to sleep, Emma knew it would not be long, before she gave herself, completely, to Terri.

"EMMA!"

The following morning, the shrill sound of her own name jolted Emma from her peaceful slumber. Still slightly delirious, Emma did not respond, but merely glanced around groggily. Terri was missing.

"I have to go to into work. I'll see you later!" Emma heard the woman shout, followed by the front door slamming.

Emma sighed and rolled over, looking at the now empty spot next to her. No, Terri del Monaco was not the type to quietly leave a note on the nightstand.

* * *

**A/N: There you have it! I seem to have mislead people on the level of angst in this chapter, with my last note. But I hope you guys enjoyed it, none the less! More angst will indeed come. Be patient, if you're looking forward to it, and bare with me, if you're not. Hahaha.**

**I've decided to post the first half of the soundtrack. I'll put it in my profile, some time tomorrow. It's too late right now... Ha.**

**The story will be continuously and gradually shifting, as will the characters, so do let me know what you think. Thank you all so much, for the support!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: The playlist is posted in my profile!**

**Enjoy the chapter. Thank you for all the support. I hope to hear from you all!**

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* * *

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"No, just… one more," Emma muttered into Terri's lips, struggling for, yet another, one last peck.

Terri, on the other hand, was backed up against Emma's office door, making a feeble attempt to grab the handle, while trying to fight off her own desires.

It hadn't started out that way, of course. But as the minutes left of her lunch break ticked away, Terri desperately needed to leave. However, she was even more desperate for just one last peck…

"Emma, I have to… mmm," she melted, as Emma slipped her tongue into the next kiss, causing Terri to lose the last bit of her willpower.

Emma grinned at the sound of her girlfriend's pleasurable sigh. In the past week, Emma had grown far more confident in her sexuality. Of course, she did not have much experience, and was still not an entirely confident person, in general. So, something that came so naturally to most people had turned into quite a feat, for her. That was why Emma was so thankful that Terri was okay with it. Because really, she had before never been comfortable enough with anyone, to discover this aspect of her life. With Terri, Emma was beginning to discover just how naturally such a thing could come to her.

Emma's bold move had turned their innocent farewell pecks into a slow, passionate kiss. As satisfied as she was with the current situation, Emma couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable, due to other circumstances. She was at work, after all, and this could hardly be considered appropriate behavior. But it was still lunch period, and the kids would not be in the hallway, so Emma tried to justify the actions she was having trouble controlling, anyway.

The bell rang, signifying that Emma's luck had run out, as well as Terri's time.

"Okay, I really have to… go," Terri said, pulling away with a gasp. She pushed her hand down on the door handle, inching backwards.

Against all her better judgment, Emma could not help but pounce, one last time. But as she pressed a palm against Terri's shoulder, the door swung open, causing them both to spill into the hallway, not separating until they both regained their balance.

"Get it, Pillsbury!" Dave Karofsky's voice bellowed, above the hoots and hollers of the entire hockey team.

Emma blushed so hard, she could feel the threat of the tiniest beads of perspiration, forming along her hair line. Terri flashed her a small, reassuring smile. They both opted for an innocent—and awkward—wave goodbye.

Terri strut directly through the group of hormonal teenage boys. "Don't you guys have HBO for this kind of thing?" she shrieked, before rolling her eyes and turning down the next hallway.

Emma's mouth dropped open, but only a moment later, she was clamping her hand over it, trying to stifle her laughter. Terri's reaction had quieted the boys, pretty fast, and they were now slowly dissipating, making their way to their prospective lockers.

Shaking her head, Emma had only just reached her desk to sit down, when her line started ringing.

"_Miss Pillsbury! I need to see you in my office. NOW."_

Emma made her way down the hall, nervously. What could Principal Figgins want to talk about that was so urgent? He only ever called her in his office if the matter regarded SAT prep or college applications. And never before had he chastised her work performance.

She tapped quietly on his open door. "You wanted to see me, Principal Figgins?" she peeped.

"Have a seat, Emma," he said, sternly.

Smoothing her skirt underneath her, she sat down, attempting to swallow the lump in her throat. It was futile, of course, so she simply waited for him to speak.

"Is it true that you are engaging in relations with Mrs. Schuester?"

"Excuse me?" On the one hand, Emma was slightly relieved. After having resigned, only to ask for her job back a few days later, and then become an emotional wreck, following her return, Emma could only imagine what he might have to say, regarding her position at McKinley High School. Even still, she was slightly taken off guard by his blunt interrogation.

"I've been informed of your hallway shenanigans!" he declared.

"Oh, Principal Figgins, I'm sorry about that. That wasn't, um, intended to be taken to the hallway…" Emma had not quite answered his first question, so she wasn't entirely sure how to go about describing the situation. Clearly, however, he had a decent understanding of it. _'Word sure travels fast around here…'_

"That's hardly the point! Your office is all glass!" Figgins said, the pitch in his voice rising. "Miss Pillsbury, I will not tolerate this kind of behavior at my school. You are a faculty member and you must set an example for these children!"

"And what kind of example is that, exactly, Figgins? That making out in the hallways is wrong? Um, not that Terri and I were _making out_…" Emma paused, losing the moment, for a second, before snapping back. "But I am fully aware that my office is all glass, when I have to watch these 'children' grinding against the lockers every day!"

"You are their guidance counselor, Emma! You can be running around promoting the idea that sexual behavior is to be so openly embraced and accepted," Figgins spat each work, slowly and sternly.

"Okay, what Terri and I were doing was hardly sexual be—. Oh my gosh, you're not… Principal Figgins, is this because those students saw me with another woman?" Emma stammered, her confidence wavering. This was not an issue she had encountered, yet, even during her confrontation with Will. But she was not about to back down on this one.

"I resent that accusation, Miss Pillsbury!" Figgins said, clearly growing flustered. "Your actions—aside rom how much it aroused the entire hockey team—were inappropriate."

"Oh, really? Because Will kissed me in front of the main office, and you had nothing to say about that." Emma quickly responded, crossing her arms, in a no-nonsense manner.

"Well, that… that was after hours!" Figgins stuttered.

"Yeah, well, today I was on my lunch break. No differently, really. In fact, extra-curricular activities were going on at that time, so kids were everywhere, instead of tucked away in the cafeteria," Emma said.

"Yes, well, like I said, Miss Pillsbury… You are a faculty member. That was when you resigned," he remarked, clearly grasping.

"What about Will? He was still working here. Did you say anything to him? Hmm?" Emma cocked her head, refusing to break eye contact, even if it forced her to tap her foot incessantly, out of nerves.

"I… Look, your brief moment of intimacy with Will Schuester was hardly enough to merit the reaction that your session with Terri Schuester received. These are the facts, Emma!"

Emma stood from her seat, slamming a palm against Figgin's desk, leaning in as she spoke. "Fact: I could press charges so easily on this one, you wouldn't even see it coming. Fact: That is something you definitely cannot afford. Fact: What I have with Terri is just as acceptable as what I had with Will or what you have with your wife!" Figgins opened his mouth, looking stunned, but ready to speak again. Emma moved her palm in front of his face, cutting him off. "My actions were inappropriate, and something like that definitely won't happen again. But you are not going to discriminate against me, and that is the only fact that matters."

With that, she left his office, unconcerned about any possibly remaining consequences. Not since defending her dignity, to Will, had Emma cared about something enough to stand up for it, so strongly. At that moment, Emma knew she could be every bit as confident as she needed to—especially when it involved something she held so dear.

* * *

Terri had to drive fifteen miles over the speed limit, just to be fifteen minutes late to work, but it had been worth every second.

Of course, her boss would not be quite as happy. It was Wednesday, which meant new stock was coming in. Howard Bamboo would certainly be having a panic attack, by the time she got back. This incident certainly would not help her chances at a promotion, but at the moment, that didn't seem to matter as much.

Her relationship with Emma had done nothing but improve, since her girlfriend dropped the bomb about the status of her v-card. Then again, it hadn't been much of a bomb. Because really, Terri did not mind, at all.

Still, she showed more intrigue, than apathy, towards the situation. Terri had not been with anyone, but Will, in fifteen years. And being with Emma would consist of a few 'firsts' for her, as well. But the idea of giving Emma everything and taking everything from her, for the first time, was so enamoring, that Terri didn't mind waiting.

Of course, that might have been due to the fact that Terri did not have to be all that patient. Every time they were together, things went a little further. Their intimate moments grew longer and more intense. Emma let Terri touch her more, and generously returned the favor. But above all else, she feel the girl's desire building, and Terri knew it would not be long before the perfectly put together Emma Pillsbury finally cracked.

Terri turned on the radio, to accompany the thoughts she was currently lost in. Despite the desperate driving she was currently exhibited, she had gone on auto pilot as soon as she pulled out of the school parking lot.

The Train song "She's On Fire" played in the background. The words reminded Terri of Emma, making her smile.

_I get the feeling she won't forget. And there's times you'd long to be her, but to be her is surely blinding._

Emma, she had learned, was a truly special person. And the fact that she wanted to surrender herself, completely, which she had never done before, to her, had Terri feeling more fulfilled than she had in a long time.

_She's on fire… And if I could be inside her light, I would steal enough to make my way into the night. And if I could be inside her light, I might just find, I'd be alright._

Terri grinned, imagining just how on fire Emma would be when her soft, wet lips covered every inch of the girl's bare skin…

That was when she saw the flashing lights, even in the middle of the day. It was nothing she was not accustomed to, so she pulled over, without a second thought. Of course the cop was signaling her.

The police officer walked out of his car, and towards hers, with his dark sunglasses shielding his eyes. Terri rolled hers, before checking herself in the mirror and turning on the charm.

"Hi, officer," she recited, sweetly. "I'm terribly sorry. I'm very late too work, and if my pay gets docked, I simply cannot keep up my appearance. I mean, what if I can't afford a tanning package this month? You know, if this keeps happening, you're going to find yourself pulling over a bunch of frazzled, pasty women, on a daily basis. That's not fun, now, is it?" She cringed, having forgotten just how pasty her girlfriend was, when she made the statement. It was a stupid story, anyway, though. Terri didn't even go tanning.

The police man stared at her, blankly, before giving her a stoic, "License and registration, please?"

She sighed, reaching into her purse. He had probably become immune to flirty women, even if they were as beautiful as Terri. Or maybe he was gay… She resisted the urge to laugh to herself, at the irony.

He retreats to his car, leaving her there, with nothing to do but tap her foot impatiently. Redeeming herself at work, today, is going to be impossible, and she needed that damn promotion. There was just only so much of Kendra and her family that she could take…

After only a short while, he returned, and for a second, Terri thought she might have been off the hook.

"Do you realize that this is your third speeding violation, in the past two months?"

It had been a very fleeting second, indeed.

Of course she was aware. Terri was absolutely anything but a careful driver. The consequences were never dire, and she knew not to bother fighting it, even if she couldn't really afford the added due. "Alright, alright. I'm really late, so could you just write me up, already?"

"Mrs. Schuester," he said, as that was still what her license shows. "Ohio state law requires me to suspend your license."

"What?" she snapped. "I'm thirty years old, not some reckless teenager! I have a job… and a _life_. And Pottery Barn is not that close to Lima… Oh my god, you cannot just take away my license!"

Unsurprisingly, he did, in fact, have it taken away, leaving her stranded, as he had to call a truck to tow her car. He told her it was procedure for him to escort her to work, but she refused. It was pointless, anyway, and the last thing she wanted to do was arrive at work—late—in the backseat of a cop car.

Terri pulled out her phone, to call Kendra, when Emma's name flashed across the screen. _'Oh, good. She can come get me, instead.'_

"Hi, Em," Terri said, solemnly.

"_Hey, Terri! Oh my gosh, you will not believe what just happened!"_

Terri laughed, bitterly. "Oh, yeah? I could say the same…"

* * *

After the incident, Emma started driving Terri to and from work. They both had to wake up earlier, or stop what they were doing, at a given moment, but the drives together were nice. However, it seemed that they were seeing each other, even less, now. They no longer saw each other during the day, because Terri was immobile and Emma's lunch break was far too short to leave the school.

Terri felt more trapped than ever, and it has only been a couple of days. But now, Kendra was constantly roping her into babysitting the boys, because she "couldn't go anywhere, anyway." It frustrated her to no end, but what was she going to say? She was living there for free.

Emma did her best to drive her wherever she needed to go and take her out as much as possible. But it was currently Friday night, and the entire day had been completely awful. Terri had not seen Emma since early that morning, when she drove her to work. But she had an SAT prep after work, forcing Terri to get a ride home from Howard. He drove at least five miles _under _the speed limit and refused to turn on the radio, unless it was classical music, under volume setting two. She opted to leave it off.

Kendra and Phil did not end up going out, but that was almost more annoying. Terri loved her sister, she really did, but the household in which was living was hardly a homey, satisfying atmosphere.

It was only 8:00, but they had just finished dinner, and Terri knew she would be not going anywhere, so she changed into her yoga pants and sat down on her bed, to count her change. She kept a jar; and while she should have been saving up for an apartment, it was strictly a Pottery Barn fund.

"TERRI! THE CREEPY GINGER GIRL IS HERE AGAIN!" Kendra's shrill voice carried, from the kitchen.

"What the…?" Terri muttered to herself, climbing off the bed. "Kendra, what is going—?" She stopped at the hallway, looking out into the living room, to find an irritated Kendra and scowling Emma. "Oh, shit…"

"You didn't tell her…?" Emma growled, through her gritted teeth. She had just experienced perhaps one of the most awkward moments of her life, by trying to be civil with Kendra, figuring she would at least have an understanding of the situation.

"Tell me what? Why the hell are you here, weirdo?" Kendra spat, at Emma.

Emma's scowl deepened, causing Terri to move further into the living room. "Um…" She paused, not sure who to address first. "Emma, I wasn't trying to hide it, or anything, I swear! It just… never came up!"

"Terri… you _live _here. How could you just go around, not acknowledging something like that?" Emma said, her voice heightening in pitch. She was shifting from angry, to hurt, as her focus was now on Terri, and the awkward moment she had experienced with Kendra was fading away.

Emma did not get mad all that often, so Terri suddenly felt uncomfortable with the entire situation. "It's not like Kendra asks me where I'm going, all the time. I'm still a capable adult!" she said, defensively. It wasn't her fault her marriage had fallen apart and she lost her home. Kendra's influence on her was big enough, without Emma pushing the issue, further.

"Oh my god, you're GAY!" Kendra interjected.

Terri and Emma both stared at her, with a tense expression adorning their faces.

Kendra rolled her eyes, at their serious looks. "I'm only kidding! I just felt like I was kinda out of the conversation, ya know… Had to get your attention somehow!" she bellowed.

She stopped, as Terri and Emma glanced at one another, their faces unchanging. Kendra's smirk faded to match their expression.

"Oh my god… You ARE gay!" Kendra declared, slowly.

Terri shrugged her shoulders and turn her arms up. "Surprise! It's a girl…!" she said, grinning uncomfortably, while gauging her sister's reaction.

Emma's face turned beat red. "Terri, I'm, um… I'm gonna let you two talk. I'll be in the other room…" she muttered, retreating to Terri's bedroom.

Terri sat down on the loveseat, staring down at her socks, waiting expectantly for Kendra to join her.

Kendra sat down, slowly. "I can't believe you're with the germ freak! Oh, what's-er-name…?"

"Emma," Terri said. "And that's all you have to say?" Of course, she had never expected Kendra to accept Emma. But she had been worried about whether or not her sister would accept her, in this situation.

"Uh, well… I guess not," Kendra started. "What about Will? Is this the real reason things didn't work out with him? Wait a minute!" She stopped, for a moment, gasping. "Terri Ramona del Monaco! Did you lie to me? Was there never really a fake baby?" Kendra scowled, putting on her best 'big sister' face, and leaned closer to Terri.

Terri scrunched up her face, in confusion. "What…? No, Kendra! It's not like that. I love Will… or, loved him, rather. But I have just as strong of a connection with Emma…" Her voice wavered, a little. Kendra's acceptance was something she valued a lot more than she ever let on.

"But she's just so _weird_…" Kendra said, making a disgusted frown.

"She's actually not bad," Terri said. "But really? That's it…?" Terri could not believe that Kendra had nothing to say about her dating another woman. Their parents had not exactly raised them to be open and accepting people.

"Yeah, well, I put up with Will, and he was a total prick," Kendra said, half-heartedly.

"Thank you, Kendra!" Terri grinned, throwing her arms around Kendra's shoulders and squeezing her tight.

"I never said I'd be nice to her!"

"It's okay, you don't have to," Terri said, still smiling. Emma probably would not have been too fond of that statement, but all she cared about, at the moment, was her sister's approval.

"Alright, well… I'll leave you two alone, to your heavy petting… or whatever it is, you ladies do together…" Kendra looked thoughtful for a moment, then returned to her _OK!_ magazine.

Terri stood up, but smiled at her sister, for a moment, before walking away.

Emma was sitting on the bed, quietly sorting Terri's change, when she got to her bedroom.

"Terri, I'm so sorry!" Emma cried, leaping off the bed to meet her, only to be ushered back down, as Terri sat beside her. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that."

"It's okay, it's okay," Terri said. "She took it perfectly well!" She decided to leave out Kendra's exact feelings about Emma.

"I overreacted," Emma argued, shaking her head. "I just got really embarrassed… Kendra thought I was some kind of stalker, or something."

"I know, and I'm really sorry about that. I honestly didn't intentionally hide it from her. I just put off bringing it up, because… well, I guess her approval meant a lot more to me than I would have thought," Terri sighed. She hugged her knees, looking to the side, uncomfortably. She hated opening up so much, especially about something that made her seem so weak. But she did rely on her sister, to some degree.

Emma would not allow Terri to retract herself, though, and wrapped her arms around the girl. "That's okay, Terri. She's your sister. Of course it's important."

Terri took a deep breath and leaned her head against Emma's shoulder, as she released it. It felt good, collapsing into her. "Kendra has a big heart. She means well and she would do anything to protect me. But sometimes, she's not really aware of consequence. She didn't exactly _help_ my marriage, and I just don't want her to mess anything up, for us." Her confidence felt compromised, but having to always hold it together had Terri feeling exhausted.

"No one is going to mess us up, Terri. You're with me—I hate messes." Emma turned her head down, to smile at Terri.

Terri smiled back, up at her, leaning in to close the distance between them. Their lips met, brushing softly over one another's, a few times, before they both pulled apart.

Emma stared at Terri, her eyes filled with burning desire. Having her girlfriend open up to her, even if only briefly, had Emma wanting her more than ever.

They shifted to the top of the bed, and Terri flicked off the light, on the way. They laid parallel to one another, kissing sensually; their arms tangling, as they crossed, to reach the other's body.

Emma sat up, only long enough to pull her shirt over her arm. Terri followed suit, doing the same, before lying back down to help Emma shift out of the tight jeans she had changed into, after work.

They eventually shed every layer of clothing, which had now gathered into a heap on the floor. Only their lingerie remained; Emma's black bra pushed up against Terri's red one, as they continuously moved over one another. Their lips and tongues crashed together, only parting for brief gasps of air.

Things slowed down, after a while, and they both rested on their backs, doing nothing but stare up at the ceiling, as their breathing steadied. Emma reached out and clasped her hand with Terri's, in the middle of the bed.

"What was your first time like, Terri?" Emma asked, quietly.

"It was fourteen. I was a freshman. It was with the senior quarterback of the football team. It happened the night we made it to the playoffs, at an after party. It was nothing special," she recited, stoically.

"Really?" The tone in Emma's voice was sad.

"Yeah, but I was just a girl, then, Em. I didn't really know what I was doing," Terri said. She knew her sexual behavior in high school had not been healthy, before Will.

"What about Will? Your first time with him, I mean," Emma asked, as if on cue.

Terri laughed, lightly. "Will was terrified… I loved it." Emma couldn't help but let out a laugh, too. "What about you? Like… first kiss, or something. Or does that belong to me, too?" Terri continued, winking.

"Haha, very funny," Emma smirked. "No, I, um… Well, I was twelve, actually."

"Twelve!" Terri exclaimed, cutting her off.

"I know, I know. And look at me at thirty, right?" Emma said, mockingly. "His name was Billy. We were at the park… It was on the monkey bars… You know, very cliché. It was pretty romantic, though, for a couple of kids in braces." Emma giggled to herself.

Terri just sat there for a moment, though. "Huh…" she sighed, thoughtfully. "I don't even remember the quarterback's name."

"Well, what about your first kiss?" Emma asked, concerned.

"That happened the same time I lost my virginity…" Terri answered.

Emma frowned, but in the dark, Terri couldn't see. She did squeeze the girl's hand, harder, though. Terri remained silent, but shifted closer, clutching Emma's arm and leaning her head against her shoulder.

In that moment, Emma knew she was ready. It couldn't be tonight, though. A lot of Terri's significant firsts had been lackluster and unmemorable. Emma promised herself that she would make sure their first time together was perfect, and made up for everything else. For the both of them, really.

Tonight, Emma was content with Terri's face tucked into the crook of her neck; blonde hair spilling onto her chest.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: It's been way too long! I'm sorry for the wait, everyone. But I hope this chapter was worth it! It was definitely the most difficult one, yet. But as soon as I got it all planned out, I actually wrote it one day!**

**Also, fair warning... This chapter verges on qualifying for an M rating. But as the entire story will not be that way, I don't want to change the entire rating. So the rating is just for this chapter!**

**One last thing... Big thank you to Ruby, for always reviewing and urging me to continue and promoting my fic on other sites. (: Thanks to all the other anonymous reviews, as well, since I can't message you guys!**

**Enjoy, and as always, I love to hear what you think!**

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* * *

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The week came and went. Terri could not believe that it was already Friday, again, but the monotony of her busy work schedule had made the week progress rather quickly.

She would not be getting her license back for another two weeks, so Emma had still been toting around her around. Unfortunately, that meant Emma usually chose where they went. For whatever reason, she had been making excuses not to spend any time at her condo. Terri, refusing to let Emma have all say, insisted that they go out more, as she was tired of listening to Kendra's bickering, Phil's complaining, and the kids' screaming. Emma claimed that they should appreciate Kendra's acceptance of their relationship, and enjoy the time they spent there. But naturally, Terri missed the privacy of her girlfriend's condo.

When Emma did not show up to pick Terri up, right after work, she insisted that Howard wait with her, just in case. 'Just in case' turned into forty-five minutes of taking her frustrations out on Howard, while waiting around, before forcing him to drive her to the school.

"Alright, wait here," Terri told Howard, as they pulled up in front of McKinley. "Just in case."

"Terri, I have to go get my appendix removed… And if I don't get that done soon, I won't be able to work tomorrow morning. And boss said I have to come in," Howard whined.

"Idiot!" Terri declared, rolling her eyes, before storming out of the car. _'Emma had better damn well be in here…'_

By the time she had gotten there, after waiting at Sheets 'N' Things for so long, Terri was not all surprised that the building was practically empty. It was the weekend, after all. But where else would Emma be, if she had not come to pick her up?

Terri practically stormed down the hall, to Emma's office, only to find that the lights were shut off and the door was locked. "What the fuck!"

"Looking for someone?"

A familiar voice startled Terri out of her rage. She had not seen Will in quite some time; since before he found out about her and Emma.

"Yes, actually, I'm looking for Emma. She was supposed to pick me up from work fourty-five minutes ago, and now I don't even know where the hell she is," Terri said, with a bite in her voice.

"God, don't talk about her like that, Terri," Will said.

"Oh, come off it, Will! I'm her girlfriend. I'll talk about her any way I please."

"Thanks for that," he said, sounding half irritated and half depressed. "Why is she driving you around, anyway? Sheets 'N' Things is pretty out of the way…"

"My license got suspended," Terri said, with an attitude like it was the most unjust thing that had ever happened to her. "Too many speeding tickets…"

"Oh, Terri…" Will said, chuckling a little and shaking his head. He could not say that it surprised him. He still knew his ex-wife all too well.

"What? 'Oh, Terri' what?" she snapped back.

"Nothing, nothing. You always liked to drive fast…" he mumbled. "Look, Emma probably went home. She's been rushing out of work every day. Claims she's got 'so much to do at home!'." Will declared, sarcastically, throwing his hands halfway in the air, as he did so. Really, he was just irritated that Emma had been blowing him off so much, lately.

As Will continued scoffing to himself, Terri glanced down at the text message Emma had just sent her.

_Hi honey! I had to get home and take care of some stuff. I forgot what time you get off work today, but can you come over this evening? See you then! xoxo Em._

Terri growled. "Ugh, yeah, she is at home. And she wants me over… I don't know how the hell she expects me to get there."

Will released a sigh. "Glee practice just got out… I could give you a ride, if you wanted…"

"Will, you don't have to do that. Drive me over there, I mean…"

"Just…" he sighed again. "Let's go."

Terri obliged, sighing for herself, as she followed him out. She did not really have much of a choice, and beggars can't be choosers. Not that Terri would _ever _consider herself a beggar.

Terri climbed into the familiar car, wondering what Will had done with the mini van he had gotten for their family, in replacement of his old high school car that she had bought him all those months ago. Will never saw that she would have done anything for him; that she just wanted them to be happy. Her actions may have been wrong, but her motives were pure. She knew what was right; what was best for her family. But now, she had a second chance with Emma, and she could not be more grateful or happy.

They remained silent, as Will focused on the road, and Terri looked out the window, doing much of the same. Rush hour was only just starting, but Will was much more patient than Terri would have been—slowing down for cars, instead of cutting them off. Will finally broke the silence, when they stopped at the first light.

"Why Emma?" he said, with a shakiness to his voice. "Of all people, why Emma?"

"I could ask you the same question, Will," she replied, trying to remain calm, but only for Emma's sake. "I could have asked you that question months ago."

"I remained faithful, Terri," Will said, accidently pressing on the gas a little too hard, jerking them forward.

"The hell you did!" Terri cried, raising her voice, only slightly. "You've been flirting with her all year. And it took you no time at all to jump all over her, as soon as you got the chance. And then how long did it take you to cheat on her, too? I loved you, for fifteen years, and you broke my heart. And you probably did much of the same to Emma. We deserve to be happy, now."

"I made a mistake, doing what I did to Emma. But that doesn't mean I don't deserve to be happy, too. And I love her, Terri!" Will stopped there. He and Terri had not lasted, and he knew she would not last with Emma, either.

"You don't know the first about her, Will. You don't love her. You wanted to love her. Thought it would fill the void left by a marriage you gave up on months ago. But I moved on, before I moved on to Emma."

"I didn't give up. It wasn't working. We weren't going to last." Will said, flatly, staring straight ahead. Will may have loved the Terri he met fifteen years ago, but the Terri he knew now would not last with anyone—especially someone as fragile as Emma.

They pulled in front of Emma's condo, and Will unlocked the door. Terri undid her seatbelt, but made no sudden effort to move.

"Will, somewhere in my heart, I am always going to love you. But I care about Emma so much, now. She means so much to me. I'm happy. Everything works out the way it's supposed to. I'm supposed to be with Emma. I want you to be happy, too. You're going to find who you're supposed to be with."

"I'm sorry, Terri. You're right. We all deserve to be happy," he replied.

Terri placed a soft kiss against his temple, and stepped out of the car.

"Thank you for the ride, Will," she said, before shutting the door behind her and making her way towards Emma's front door.

Being on the other side of his relationship with Terri, Will knew her game. And he knew to play along. Because if he could not release her insecurities, something else would. And when Terri cracked, there was no way Emma could handle it.

* * *

Terri wanted to swing the front door open, run into Emma's arms and cover her face with kisses, and tell her just how much she cared about her and just how happy she was to be with her. But Terri was not one to let go of things easily. She had another matter to confront, and there would be plenty of time for the rest, later.

"Emma, where the hell where you? Do you have any idea… who… I had to… my ride…" Terri stopped glancing around to find an elaborate dining table set up and Emma slaving over some pot, in the kitchen. "Emma, what is all this?"

"Terri!" Emma said, startled, turning around with an apron on and a big wooden spoon in her hand. "What are you doing here? I said later this evening, meaning like, six o' clock, not four-thirty!"

"Well, Em, you didn't really leave me much choice… I was lucky enough to get a ride when I did, from _Will_, thank you very much," she said, sharply.

"Oh, gosh, Terri! I'm so sorry! But… but, I-I'm not even ready… This was supposed to be special, and all ready for you, by the time you got here!" Emma whined. She had been so caught up in preparations all week, that she did not even think about how Terri would get to her house, let alone at the proper time. "Okay, let me fix this. I can just—"

"Emma! Emma, stop!" Terri said, cutting her off. "Just tell me what this is about."

She drew in a deep breath. "It's for… It's supposed to be…" Emma stopped to breathe once more, causing Terri to urge her to continue, with just a look. "You said your first time wasn't all that special… And I wanted to make up for it," she said, with a huff.

"Emma… What are you… Are you saying…?" Terri asked, slowly.

Emma nodded, shakily, but with a gleam in her eye. "I just wanted it to be perfect."

"Baby," Terri said, cradling Emma's head in her arms. "Let me help you. This is about us, not me."

Emma smiled, handing Terri an apron.

Terri shook her head. "No thanks. Those are dorky," she said, pushing the sleeves of her thin sweater up her arms.

Emma blinked a few times, glancing insecurely at her own apron, a few times, but giggled, and got back to work.

At precisely six o' clock, they finished cooking Emma's elaborate dinner, including fresh baked bread, salad, an herb and butter pasta with pesto sauce (at which Terri asked, _"What the hell is this green shit?"_), and for dessert, a chocolate molten cake.

Emma dished out dinner on her even more elaborate table setting, before sitting across from Terri.

"I like the green stuff, after all, Emma," Terri said, after finishing a bite of her pasta.

Emma smiled, bopping her head happily, as she worked on her own plate. The dinner remained relatively quiet. After all the planning and preparation she had done, the buildup was a little intimidating. And after every glance at Terri she stole, she felt her nerves increase, a little more.

"Emma, why are you just picking at your food? This is delicious…" Terri fussed.

"Oh, just, um… excited, I guess…" Emma stammered.

"It's okay to be nervous," Terri told her.

Emma's eyes grew wide, as a smile spread across her face. _'It's okay,'_ was all she needed to hear; all she needed to remind herself that she wanted this—wanted Terri—more than anything.

They finished dinner, silently smiling at one another. Terri reached across the table to grab Emma's hand, as they finished.

"O-Okay, one minute…" Emma stood up and cleared their plates, before grabbing dessert out of the oven.

Breaking her cake open, Emma watched the dark, hot liquid pour out onto her plate. She imagined it filled with red, as if her heart was melting right there. She found that she actually quite liked it, though she took small bites, not too drenched in the sticky syrup.

Emma was only halfway through, when Terri was scraping the bottom of her plate clean.

"Oh my god, Emma, this is so good," she gushed. "How many of these did you make?" Terri remembered not showing off her ravenous appetite the first time they had dessert together, but she had quite a craving for sweets.

"Oh, just… just two. It was a single serving recipe, so… Here, you can have the rest of mine, if you want it," Emma said, meekly.

"No thanks. That's quite alright," Terri told her, shaking her head. "But you're making me anxious… Let me help you." She crawled into the chair next to Emma, taking the fork from her hand.

Terri was not as careful, covering each piece of the moist cake with a dip in the chocolate bath, but Emma found it hard to resist, with Terri sliding the fork between her lips for her, with every bite.

"Good, huh?" Terri asked, as Emma finished.

"Delicious…" Emma giggled.

Emma wiped her mouth with her napkin, as Terri licked her fingers, before taking their plates to the dishwasher.

"So, um… I rented the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, because I know you really like Bruckheimer," Emma said, loading up the last of the dishes.

A grin crept onto Terri's face. She loved just how much Emma knew about her, from before they had even started dating.

After shutting the dishwasher, Emma made her way towards the outside of the living room, where Terri was standing. "We don't have to watch all of them if, you know… Too long…" she muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"The second one is my favorite," Terri said, stopping her. She grabbed the movie off the shelf of Emma's entertainment center, and popped it in the DVD player. "Alright, you can take it from here. None of these things work the same way."

Laughing, Emma grabbed the remote and sat down on the couch and motioned for Terri to join her. She wrapped her arms around Terri's small waist, as the move opened.

Terri shifted her arm around Emma's neck, to rest on her shoulder, softly playing with her fiery red hair. "Thank you for doing this, sweety…" she mumbled, placing a kiss on top of Emma's head.

Lips curling into a smile, Emma spoke, softly, trying not to disrupt the movie she already did not understand. "I wanted this to be perfect for you."

"It is perfect… for us," Terri reminded her.

Wrapping her arms tighter around Terri, Emma tried to focus on the movie. But she was not really able to follow it, and all she wanted to focus on, anyway, was Terri's soft caresses. "I, um, saw the first one, actually. But I didn't really understand it," she confessed.

"That's alright." Terri laughed. "You understand the curse, though, right?"

"Um…"

"Just watch the wedding scene, Em," Terri reassured her, lacing their fingers together.

They continued watching. Emma's attention faded in and out, while Terri seemed pretty enamored, though unsurprised by anything. Emma did not take much notice, either, until some tribe appeared to be _cooking _the Johnny Depp pirate character.

"Oh my god! Ew! Why are they trying to eat him?" Emma shrieked.

"They think he's a god!" Terri declared, casually, like it was the most painfully obvious thing in the world.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Emma whined.

"Oh, just watch… He gets away."

"You ruined it!"

"It's not even an important scene!"

"Fine, I don't understand this movie anyway…" Emma grumbled, playfully, resting her head against Terri's chest.

Unable to focus on the movie, Emma shifted uncomfortably, needing a distraction. She was just about to ask if she should make popcorn, when Terri slid her hand down her shoulder and under her chin, tilting her face up to slowly meet her lips.

Emma greeted her, warmly, sucking on her bottom lip, before taking it between her teeth, and forcing her mouth to part. She opened hers over Terri's, as their tongues swirled and clashed together. Releasing her tight grip on Terri's waist, Emma moved her hands down to rest on the girl's hips, moving her fingers over them in light, small motions.

Terri slid her hand down Emma's chest, popping open the top button of her blouse. She parted their lips for a moment, releasing a heavy breath. "Do you want to move to the bedroom?" she whispered, brushing Emma's lips as she did so.

"Wh-what about your movie?" Emma stuttered shakily.

"Ha," Terri sighed, grasping Emma's hand and lifting them both off the couch. She never cared about watching the movie in the first place, but she knew Emma had put a lot of thought into the evening, and she appreciated every bit of it.

But what she saw as she pulled open the door had her eyes wide, mouth agape, and totally speechless. "Em… Emma, wh-what is all this?" she managed.

The room was covered with rose petals and filled with candles, while soft music played in the background.

"Terri, you mean so much to me," Emma said, watching Terri stare at the room. "You deserve the romance; the passion; everything. I want this to be so special."

Every bad choice Terri had ever made seemed to fade away, in that moment. She had shared plenty of special times with Will, but now, it felt like Terri was getting a second chance at her 'first time.'

Terri's eyes welled with tears, as she turned to face Emma. She clasped Emma's cheeks with her hands, bringing them together for a tight, lingering kiss. "Come here," she said, pulling Emma towards the bed, covered in white.

Emma giggled as Terri fell onto the bed, pulling her as she did, to rest on top. Their lips met, moving quickly over one another's as Terri finished undoing the buttons of Emma's floral blouse. She moved to sit up, and Emma shifted to rest beside her and slid the shirt off her shoulders, as Terri pulled her own sweater over her head.

Grasping the sides of Emma's shoulders, Terri leaned in, sucking and nipping at Emma's neck with a skillful grace.

"Mmm," Emma stifled a moan into a hum, while letting her eyes fall shut and pushing her hands into Terri's hair, clenching fistfuls of the blonde tresses.

Terri reached down to unbutton Emma's jeans. Emma shifted out of them, before helping Terri do the same. Their clothes collected into messy piles on opposite sides of the bed, but Emma paid no attention.

"Emma, you are amazing," Terri muttered, inching her lips down towards Emma's chest. "I care about you, so much. I'm going to make this perfect."

She slid one hand over Emma's panties, rubbing softly, and eliciting a gasp. Terri smirked. "Why so shocked? This isn't uncharted territory just yet…"

"Then why are you so surprised by my reaction?" Emma panted. Despite never making it past each other's undergarments, Terri always had the strongest effect on Emma.

Moving her hands back up, Terri reached behind Emma, for her clasp. But, anxious to do the same, Emma tangled her arms through Terri's, beating her to it and releasing her from her purple, lacey lingerie.

"So beautiful…" Emma marveled, eyes wide and glossy.

But Terri was already shifting behind Emma, pressing herself against the girl's soft, pale back. She unhooked Emma's bra, finally, reaching around to cup her breasts.

Emma titled her head, clamping her teeth down on Terri's collar bone. "Come back…" she muttered, lustily.

Terri obliged, immediately covering one of Emma's breasts with her mouth, while keeping the other in her grasp. She had never known someone could be so soft and delicate, while so hard and hot, all at the same time.

Panting and shivering with desire, Emma lifted a shaky hand to rub her fingers over Terri's glistening chest. Both resting on their knees, she pushed against Terri, as close as their bodies would allow. She loved everything about the feelings she had towards Terri—wanting to be closer to someone than what was even possible.

But Terri moved her lips back up, taking Emma's between her own. She glided her hands all the way down either of Emma's sides, before hooking her thumbs in Emma's soft, yellow panties. Slowly, she slid them down her legs, and Emma shifted out of them as they reached her feet.

"Lie down," Terri urged, as they both fell back, heads resting on the pillows.

Emma's heart was racing, but she had never felt so good in her life. She had no fear, like she experienced so many times prior, well before reaching this phase in intimacy. Terri made her feel cared for and wanted. Her heart raced because she wanted to truly feel all of that desire.

Carefully straddling either side of the petite girl, Terri slid her hand down Emma's front, slowly gliding one finger inside, as she reached her center.

At the sensitive touch, Emma felt her inner thighs throbbing. Her head grew fuzzy as Terri slid fully inside her. Never in her life had she felt this close to another person, and in that moment, Emma knew exactly why she held out for so long. And as Terri continued her slow movement, the wait was more and more worth it by the second…

Terri glanced down at Emma. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was open. She was clenching fistfuls of the sheet, while delicately thrashing her head and murmuring incoherently. Terri froze, ceasing her movements, momentarily. She could not have known that she would ever have so much control, during intimacy. The power overwhelmed her. The passion she felt from holding Emma's pleasure at her fingertips was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Both her hands began to tremble.

"Terri, more… Please don't… stop," Emma muttered, breathing hard and fast. Never having been _this _worked up, she needed to finish.

Terri snapped back into the moment, now pushing two fingers. Emma's breath hitched at the sudden motion, urging Terri to pump her hand, until they found a steady rhythm; until Emma was thrusting her hips up and her walls clamped around Terri's fingers.

Emma opened her eyes to lock her gaze with Terri's, before throwing her head back, as she came. Terri's name lingered on her lips, as she slowly came down, trying to catch her breath.

"Emma, how—" Terri began, but Emma cut her off.

"Terri…" Emma called, rolling over so that she was now resting on top. She was still trying to regain a steady breathing pattern, as well as a steady mind, but she wanted nothing more than to experience what Terri just had and for Terri to experience what she had.

She peppered kisses down the middle of Terri's body, covering the entire length, until she reached the girl's panties. Gripping the hem with her teeth, she slid them down Terri's slender legs, tossing them aside. Pushing her legs apart, Emma rested a kiss against Terri's soft, wet center, before pushing her tongue inside.

"Oh my _god_, Em," Terri cried in pleasure, gripping onto anything she could. She had not really anticipated anything from Emma, let alone _this_. But it was their night, after all.

Terri arched her back, reveling in the motions Emma was using on her body. Guiding her hand down, Emma used her fingertips to assist herself, as Terri reached her climax, shuddering amongst Emma's many touches.

Emma crawled back up the bed, and Terri immediately leaned forward, continuously pressing their lips together in desperate kisses. She wrapped her arms around Emma's neck, pulling her close. Terri quivered, as she stroked the girl's hair, never having felt so appreciated in her life.

But Emma started to speak. "Thank y—"

Terri hummed in protest, shaking her head. She had not done Emma any favors. She had wanted it—needed it, even—just as badly. "Remember, this was about us."

* * *

The rest of the weekend, Terri spent most of her time at work and visits with Emma were few and far between. And for whatever reason, on that particular Sunday, Kendra insisted that they all be home for dinner together. Terri did not really understand the point, seeing as she now lived there. She and Will used to go over to Kendra's every so often. Terri and her sister would talk—well, shout, rather—over the screams of the kids, while Will listened, mindfully, and Phil tried to prevent anything from setting Kendra off. But now, Terri did not imagine any of it phasing her.

At least for the afternoon, however, Terri would be spending the day with her amazing girlfriend. It was the nicest day of the early spring season, so far, so Emma picked her up and drove them both to the park.

"You look nice," Terri sighed, glancing over at Emma, from her usual spot in the passenger's seat. Half of her cropped cut was clipped back, and she wore a sundress with flats.

"As do you," Emma replied, only taking her eyes off the road for a moment. It was not like she needed to look, anyway. Terri always looked great, in her tight jeans and low-cut, form-fitted tops. She even pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, keeping it off her face.

They parked outside the entrance, stopping for ice cream on their way in. With one hand, they laced fingers, and held their cones in the other—Terri's vanilla and Emma's strawberry—as they start started walking.

Terri smiled at Emma a few times, before her eyebrows burrowed, as a thought crossed her mind. "Emma, why do you always get strawberry ice cream? Even with your apple pie, I noticed, which is definitely peculiar."

"Oh my gosh!" Emma nearly jumped. "I can't believe this never came up…"

"What. WHAT? Are you allergic to vanilla? Oh shit…" Terri stumbled over her words.

"Oh, no! No, no, no…" Emma said, shaking her head. "I, um… never really told you the reason behind my OCD. Or, what triggered it, at least."

"God, I never thought to ask… I'm sorry, Emma." By the time she had grown so fond of Emma, the woman's odd habits slowly started to blend into her daily life. She no longer really saw Emma as a person with a problem; just someone with a few quirks. In fact, Terri could not remember the last time she had even acknowledged it, to herself, or otherwise.

"It's quite alright. It's not a very long story, really. So, when I was a little kid, I guess I had this aspiration to be a dairy farmer. I don't really know where it came from…" Emma paused for a moment, remembering all the times she had this conversation before. It seemed to mean so much more back then. "My parents took me and my brother to one. I don't really know if they were encouraging me, or trying to make me realize that I should pursue something else." Emma stopped to laugh a little. She had never really thought of it that way.

"Oh, I don't know. I've _always_ wanted to work at Sheets 'N' Things," Terri said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Emma gave her a sympathetic smirk and pressed on. "My brother was older, but we were little back then, so he was more prone to picking on me, than protecting me. Actually, he still kind of is…" Emma muttered, losing her train of thought for a second. "Anyway, there was this whole dairy tasting thing. And right after, we went back outside, and my brother thought it would be, um, funny, I guess, to push me in the lagoon. You know, with all the—Well, actually we're eating right now, so I'll spare you the details."

"And that's why you're so terrified of germs?" Terri asked, fuming. "What a little asshole! I'll kick his ass!"

"It's fine. We're fine, now. He's just kind of bully…" Emma sighed.

"So… what does that have to do with the yogurt?"

"Oh! Right, sorry. So, from that day on, I basically stopped eating dairy all together. Then, as I got older, once in a great while I would eat it, as long as it was mixed into something really well. But um, my therapist thinks I should start conquering my fear of, erm, dairy products. So I've started with strawberry ice cream and yogurt and the like. Because since it's fruity, I guess that makes it seem less like dairy to me. It's silly, the whole thing is, I know. But I even have a tough time with that chocolate the other night… but you made it a lot easier." Emma paused, shooting Terri a grin. "But vanilla… Oh no. It looks just like milk. I couldn't possibly…"

Terri just watched Emma for a moment, as they walked. It seemed silly, sad even, that Emma had to give up eating certain foods for so long, just on account of having a prick for a brother.

"Let me try and make things easier, again." Terri said quickly, biting her bottom lip.

"What? Oh, as much as I'd love you lick your ice cream cone, I think I'm gonna pass." Emma chuckled, glancing down, embarrassed.

"I had a more tempting offer in mind…" Terri stopped, causing Emma to jerk back, as their hands were still latched together.

"Terri, no…"

But Terri took a big lick of her ice cream, letting it linger on her tongue. She leaned in, pressing her lips firmly against Emma's. Emma tried to retreat for a moment, Terri only leaned in further, to capture them once again. Terri ran the tip of her tongue over Emma's bottom lip, but she kept her mouth clamped shut, so Terri bit down.

"Ah!" Emma gasped, opening her mouth just enough for Terri to force her tongue inside.

Emma succumbed, swirling her tongue around Terri's, pleasantly surprised by the taste of the quickly melting vanilla ice cream mixed with her girlfriend's kiss.

"Mmm," Emma mumbled, pulling away. She grabbed onto Terri's ice cream cone, taking a big lick, for herself. "Can we trade?"

"No way!" Terri sneered and placed another quick kiss on Emma's lips, before they continued walking.

Emma made a mental note to buy Terri vanilla body spray.

* * *

"Alright, your kids are drowning in the bath tub now!" Terri shouted, while making her way to her bedroom, completely irritated.

'Family dinner' had turned into Terri picking up take out from Breadsticks, Terri doing the dishes, and Terri starting the kids' bath. But she drew the line at that. There was no way she would be scrubbing their groudy little ginger heads. Terri smirked, silently chastising herself, as she shut her bedroom door behind her. She had gotten so used to the term 'ginger' having such a negative connotation. But it did look so good on Emma…

Terri sighed and walked over to her dresser, rearranging some things that rested on top, to make more space. The room was so damn small.

She heard a quick knock behind her, on the screen door that was ever-so-pleasantly placed in the guest bedroom, where she currently resided.

"What in the—?" She jumped, clutching her heart. Who would come all the way around to the backyard, just to use the side door?

Slowly, she peered around, only to sigh and roll her eyes, once she saw that it was Emma.

She stormed over and unlatched the door, creaking it open. Terri could not even recall ever using it.

"What are you do—? Emma, what are you wearing?" Terri said, about to burst into laughter. She knew her girlfriend like to make some bold fashion statements, but a trench coat was a bit much. Especially paired with the stilettos…

"Oh, nothing…" Emma unfastened her belt, dropping the coat to the floor, to reveal a lime green lingerie set.

Terri's mouth dropped open, taking in the sight before her. Emma stood with a slightly nervous demeanor, but she looked absolutely breath-taking, none the less.

Terri brushed Emma's hair back, latching her mouth onto the girl's neck. Emma titled her head back, craving Terri's soft lips. She pushed lightly on her shoulders, guiding them to the bed. She quickly straddled Terri, her white legs popping against the bright neon color, on each side of Terri's waist.

"I went shopping, while you were working all weekend," Emma said, lowly, in between kisses. "I just couldn't wait to show you…"

"It's beautiful… You're beautiful," Terri sighed, still exasperated at the site of her sweet, innocent Emma in such bold, sexy garments.

"But you, ma'am, are much too clothed," Emma declared, as sexy as possible, pulling Terri's top over her head.

"Sorry… my attire is not as exciting," Terri fussed, lying beneath Emma in her gray bra, with a simple pink bow in the middle.

"I like bows…" Emma murmured, placing a kiss at the center of Terri's chest, right above where the bow was set.

Terri was already arching her back, wanting more…

"TERRI! Ethan pissed in the bath tub! I need you to—OH MY GOD!" Kendra wailed, immediately upon swinging the door open. She quickly clamped a hand over the triplet boy's eyes, who was now giggling in amusement.

Emma rolled over as quickly as possible, throwing the comforter over her almost bare frame. She pulled it up to her neck and remained still, avoiding eye contact with Kendra.

"Kendra! Really?" Terri shrieked.

"Have you heard of locking the door!" Kendra combated.

"Have you heard of _knocking_," Terri replied, just as snarky.

Ethan, still blinded, attempted to turn his head up towards his mother. "Mommy, is Auntie Terri a lesbian?"

"What! Ethan, what in the hell are you picking up from those little douche bags at school?" Kendra snapped, thwarting the side of his head, with her free hand. "Alright, this is awkward. I'm gonna take off. Terri, when you get a chance, could you drain the tub? That'd be great," Kendra said, leaving as quickly and as suddenly as she had arrived.

Terri flopped onto the bed again. Both girls were lying on their backs, staring straight up at the ceiling.

"So, um, I'm feeling pretty turned off, now…" Emma said, nodding her head, but keeping it glued to the pattern above her.

"Yep," Terri agreed, smacking her lips. "That's Kendra for you."

"Well, at least she's pretty, um, _chill_, about it, so to speak," Emma said, meekly. She knew Kendra was not her biggest fan, but so far, she had been entirely supportive of their relationship. Terri's sister made her happy, and Emma was not one to stand in the way of that.

"Yeah, I mean, she's great. But she's a huge pain," Terri said, gritting her teeth. Now, more than ever, was Kendra a very huge pain.

"How so?" Emma asked, quietly.

"It's just… I feel like a little kid, again, living with my big sister," she sighed. "I should be really grateful that she's doing this, while I save up to get a place, but she's taking advantage of the situation. I mean, again, that's Kendra, and I love her. But I'd much rather be friends with her, without being roommate."

Emma took a few breaths, pondering over what Terri had just said. She knew Terri had some issues, living with Kendra, but she did not want to separate them, or anything. But it seemed as if Terri's relationship with her sister would be better off if they had some space…

"Um, Terri… Listen, I know we haven't been together all that long. But I've been thinking about it for a while, and well… Whenever you're ready to move in, you can. If you want to, I mean," Emma said, feeling her face flush.

Terri sat up, propping herself on her elbows, her ponytail spilling over one shoulder. "You mean, like, into your condo? With you?" she asked, in disbelief.

"Only if you want… I don't want to rush you, or make you leave your sister, or anything…"

"Yes! Yes, Emma! Oh, absolutely. Thank you so much!" She leaned over, continuously kissing Emma, who still seemed a little shaken, but that was not holding Terri back. "I'll start packing first thing tomorrow!"

As much as she loved her sister, Terri could not wait to get out and be on her own again—even better, with Emma. It was the strangest feeling, but Terri felt like she was going home.


End file.
